


Dance your heart down onto your sleeve

by spitefulspphic



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Childhood Friends, Estranged Friends to Lovers, F/F, background yuetara, tyzula - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:15:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25403722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spitefulspphic/pseuds/spitefulspphic
Summary: “We’re not suddenly best friends again, so don’t worry about being left out,” Mai said dryly, flicking at a piece of meat with her chopsticks. “Besides, she mostly hangs out with the other lesbians in their little social circle.”Wait, what?Ty Lee was leaning over the table now. “What do you meanother lesbians?”(azula and ty lee are childhood best friends who had a falling out, but some things don't fade so easily.)
Relationships: Azula & Katara (Avatar), Azula & Lu Ten, Azula/Ty Lee (Avatar), Mai & Ty Lee (Avatar)
Comments: 54
Kudos: 467





	1. Azula

It happened like this:

_The shop was empty of customers save for Katara’s bald ex-boyfriend, Aang. A girl was sitting across him, her back turned to Azula. She walked over to their table, skipped the greeting Uncle insisted they give every customer, and finally looked over to the girl. She froze, words failing her as she stared at her too long to be polite._

_The girl stared right back; her eyes were wide as Azula’s name escaped her mouth like a question, the girl's own name echoing in Azula's mind._ Ty Lee _... Her body tensed as if gearing for fight or flight, to confront or flee before another word was spoken. Yet her defenses were utterly disarmed the moment Ty Lee rose from her chair to gather her up in her lightly muscled arms. A tight embrace. The scent of flowers assaulting her senses. It was as if nothing had changed and they were fifteen and careless again._

Water splashed across her face and she was wrenched out of the memory that had been playing on a loop in her head since yesterday. She spluttered water out of her mouth, her eyes blinking open. 

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” she exclaimed, glaring up at Katara who was sniggering and holding an empty water bottle over her face. “I was trying to nap!”

“You weren't.”

“What do you want?”

Katara propped up a hand on her hip. “Yue's inviting a bunch of friends over tonight, she wants me to ask you if you'll be staying.”

“Like I have a choice?” Azula said. She'd rather be here than suffer her uncle's endless questions about her day.

Katara nudged her with her hip, Azula promptly scooting over to the side so Katara could plop down beside her on the pool lounge. Katara's hair was still damp from being on the water for hours, dripping droplets on Azula's shoulder.

Azula had her fair share of strange things in her life, but her friendship with Katara was still one of the more peculiar ones. They hated each other the moment Azula transferred to her school in junior year, then they both came out as gay around the same time and drunkenly made out at a party. After avoiding each other like the plague for months, they begrudgingly built an alliance against rude customers after Katara got herself hired in Uncle's tea shop. Waitressing was like navigating a social warzone, and having the hot-tempered Katara on her side had its perks.

_She isn't terrible company, at least._

“You're thinking about your ex-girlfriend again, aren't you?” Katara prodded, the question carried by that gentle tone she always used whenever she was trying to get Azula to talk about her issues.

_Except when she's acting like my therapist._

“For the last time, she's not my ex.”

“You _are_ thinking of her.”

“Shut up. Go flirt with Yue or something.” 

They’d been hanging out in Yue's mansion ever since Katara began dating her around the start of summer. Azula did miss the superficial pleasures of living in a house like Yue’s, even though her childhood home back in Caldera became nothing but a lifeless edifice of unpleasant memories lurking in every corner. Uncle Iroh wasn’t exactly hurting for money, but her life now was a far cry from the one she had back when they still lived under her dad’s roof.

Azula leaned back, chasing that empty calmness she knew too well as her eyes fluttered shut. A warm summer wind passed over her. 

“I just never thought I'd see her again,” she began to say, because she was only human and the thoughts she'd been keeping to herself were bound to spill over. “It’s only been a couple of years but it feels like a lifetime ago since I last saw her. Things are so different now. And her cousin just happened to be your ex? What were the odds of that?”

Katara flicked her shoulder playfully. “At least it wasn't a disaster when you two bumped into each other, right?”

Azula nodded without opening her eyes. “Yeah... I guess so.”

~

_“God, it's been forever, hasn't it?” said Ty Lee as she pulled away, grinning like she actually meant every word. “How have you been?”_

_“I go to therapy now,” Azula blurted, then inwardly chided herself. Out of all the things she could've said..._

_Never in her life had Azula felt so inadequate. She could bend words like weapons, but right now she felt like she had been thrust into an arena empty-handed._

_It didn't seem to matter to Ty Lee, though. “That's... great,” she said, then her smile turned soft. “I- um, I heard about your dad. Azula, I'm—”_

_“It's fine, you don’t have to say anything.” Her pity was the last thing Azula wanted. She finally turned to bald boy. “The usual?”_

_“Sure,” he replied, stupid bright smile and all. “Oh, and this is my cousin, Ty Lee, but you two seem to know each other already.”_

_Azula frowned. “Cousin?”_

_“Mom's side. Very distant, though,” explained Ty Lee. “I'm staying with Aang and his dad for the summer.”_

_“Oh,” she said, rather dumbly, then left to get their order without saying another word._

~

Katara's girlfriend never liked the idea of throwing parties. What she liked to do was arranging what she always called “get togethers” like some rich man's bored housewife and preparing platters of Northern delicacies and snacks for her friends. Katara would help her cook and bake everything, because they were one of those annoyingly wholesome couples, while Azula popped in and out of the kitchen at random times to taste whatever they were making. Her critiques were always frank, but she tried to tamp them down after that one time she got particularly grating and Yue looked visibly upset. She was blunt, but she wasn't a _monster_.

When their friends arrive—more accurately, Katara and Yue's friends since Azula mostly just tolerated the others, including her own brother—Yue would either let them put on a movie to watch or take everyone to her dad's karaoke room. This time wasn't any different, and the same old faces crowded Yue's opulent living room.

Things got a little bit more complicated for Azula when Aang arrived while Sokka and Zuko were still debating which movie to watch.

...with Ty Lee trailing behind him.

Azula tried to repress her sudden panic. She had known another encounter was inevitable, but she hadn't expected it to be so soon. Fortunately, Azula was great at schooling her features to avoid betraying even the slightest hint of whatever emotion internally clawing at her. And when it came to Ty Lee, she only had to bury down the nearly nauseating amalgam of guilt, nostalgia, and something disturbingly close to longing that bloomed in her chest for the rest of the evening.

She’d been through worse.

Zuzu looked surprised to see Ty Lee but he let her hug him anyway. Azula pointedly ignored him when he tried to catch her eye.

Ty Lee inserted herself in the group with ease, which wasn't surprising; she always had a way with social interactions. She was all smiles while she chatted with the others, endearing herself to them with her contagious energy. That trick never got old, it seemed. Boys used to foam at the mouth just to be near her; Azula suspected she still had that effect on people.

“Wait, you're a part of the Kyoshi Dance Company?” said Sokka. “You must know Suki!”

“Of course!” Ty Lee’s lips curled in a smirk and the sight brought back a myriad of memories that Azula would rather stay hidden. Her stomach flipped despite herself. “Suki talks about you a lot, actually.”

Sokka blushed, scratching the back of his head sheepishly, and Azula feared she was going to revisit her dinner. “Um, yeah, she’s— we're... yeah.”

When Ty Lee's eyes finally landed on Azula, her face lit up even more, if such a thing was even possible. “Hi, Azula. Good to see you!”

She sounded genuine, and Azula managed a polite smile. Katara was rubbing off on her.

Mai gave her a sideway glance. “That went better than I expected.” 

“What, you thought I was going to cause a scene?”

“Wouldn't put it past you.”

“ _Tch_ , I’m better than that now and you know it,” she muttered. “Besides, you and I get along well enough, don't we?”

“We both know it was different between the two of you, Azula.” Mai’s eyes grew serious for a moment, fixing Azula with a fleeting look, a hint of warning in them. It vanished and Mai was back to her indifferent self before Azula could start overthinking. 

Azula didn't bother denying what she said.

The movie started and Azula sat next to Toph, refusing to stay anywhere near Katara while she snuggled with Yue on the love seat. She did that once and it was harrowing, they were sickly sweet those two. Toph was blissfully munching on a bowl of popcorn. 

“You and new girl know each other?” she asked Azula, elbowing her slightly on the side.

“Never thought you'd be one to gossip, Beifong.”

Toph's eyebrow rose in a slow arch. _Wrong move, then._

“Why, is there something we _shouldn't_ know?”

Azula didn't deign to reply. She shifted her focus back to the film they were watching: some maximalist fanfare that was nothing but one pointless spectacle after another. Hardly a minute had gone by and she was already bored.

Her eyes flitted over to the other side of the living room where Ty Lee sat beside Mai. Under the shifting light of the television screen, Ty Lee glowed like a pale ghost with a smiling face. Azula couldn't help but think how apt the comparison was.

~

_When Azula was seven, she heard her mother say she was a_ difficult child _. She didn’t entirely understand what it meant, but she knew she was being slighted._

_“I’m sure she didn’t mean it, Azula,” said Ty Lee._

_“You weren’t there, Ty Lee. She hates me.” Azula threw the stupid beheaded doll that her stupid uncle gave her across the bedroom. It landed on a small stack of books she had stolen from her dad’s library. “It doesn't matter, though. I don't care if she does,” she said, not sure whether she actually meant any of it._

_Ty Lee’s mouth pulled downwards when she looked at her, like she was sad on Azula’s behalf. “Nobody hates you, Azula.” Ty Lee sounded so sure of it, so convinced, that Azula believed her right away. “You’re the prettiest, bestest girl ever! No one could ever hate you. Right, Mai?”_

_Mai, who was busy perusing the dumb comic book that Zuzu gave her after she complimented the large set of volumes he got from Uncle, looked up and nodded. “Sure,” she said._

_“See? There’s no need to be upset.” Ty Lee smiled._

_Azula scoffed. “I wasn’t upset.”_

_“Okay… we should go outside then. I want to show you a new trick I learned!”_

_They spent the rest of the day playing in the sprawling backyard of Azula's house, clear blue sky above them and soft grass beneath their feet. For a while, Azula forgot her mother’s words._

~

_Azula refused to cry during the funeral._

_She kept her face sad though, which was expected of her. It wasn’t hard. She_ was _sad. Her mom just died, snatched away from her without warning after a car accident. But she didn’t let herself cry. When she had just turned nine and twisted her ankle in the middle of her birthday party, her dad had pulled her aside and chastised her, his grip on her arm tight as he told her that she was_ too old to cry _. She hadn’t cried in front of anyone since then, and she certainly wasn’t going to now—not with her dad standing beside her, her dad whose face was a blank solemn mask._

_Next to her, Zuzu was heaving loud hiccuping sobs even as Uncle tried to comfort him with a hand on his shoulder. Azula hated having to hear him. Not because it was pathetic. She hated how it made her chest tighten so much that it hurt, hated how it made her want to cry too._

_Ty Lee stayed with her the whole day and offered to sleep over. When Azula finally couldn’t hold back her tears, she was the only one around to hear Azula quietly sob against her pillow._

_Azula let her best friend hug her while she cried herself to sleep._

_~_

_“You’re a terrible friend, you know that?” Ty Lee’s whole face scrunched up like it could barely hold the amount of anger that was brimming over her. Azula had never seen Ty Lee this... angry, and that should be the main thing bothering her, but her mind fixated on the word_ friend _, the way Ty Lee spat it out of her pink lips like a curse._

 _“You’ve been holding that in for years, haven’t you?” Azula sneered. “If you think I’m so terrible then why don’t you just leave me alone? Oh, wait, I almost forgot, you’re so airheaded and helpless that you always need_ me _to tell you what to do with yourself.”_

_Ty Lee’s anger washed away from her features like a wave as another emotion crested. Her bottom lip wobbled, tears ran down her cheeks, and Azula fought against the sting of guilt in her chest._

_“Why are you being like this, Azula?” she said, voice so small and wounded. It somehow hurt Azula more than any insult she could’ve thrown at her face, and yet Azula kept the cruel twist of her mouth like it didn’t matter to her, like Ty Lee didn’t matter_.

 _It was the last time they ever spoke_.

 _They didn’t speak months later when Azula’s father fell from grace and fled the country to escape justice after being caught red-handed siphoning money from public funds, abandoning her and Zuko for good. Azula didn’t seek her out to say goodbye before she left Caldera for Ba Sing Se with no intention of looking back_.

~

Ty Lee caught her staring and Azula quickly darted her eyes away. Her cheeks warmed. She didn’t dare sneak another glance after that.

When the movie ended, Sokka declared that they should all head to the pool. He put on some music and Yue, after some urging from the others, brought out a few drinks. Mai and Zuko sat close to each other with their heads bowed over Mai’s phone, while the rest jumped into the pool. Azula didn’t join them, content to laze all by herself and stay dry.

It was then that Ty Lee cornered her.

“Hi,” she greeted, a hint of nervousness in the way she fiddled with her hands. It made Azula feel a lot less awkward. “Is it okay if I sit here?” She pointed to the pool lounge next to Azula.

“No one’s stopping you.” When Azula realized how that sounded, she added, “I don’t mind.” 

Ty Lee gave her a smile and sat down. Her hair was swept to one side in loose waves, which somehow made the fact that she was here in Yue's house, reclining on the lounge beside Azula, all the more weird. She almost always wore her hair in a braid when the two of them were still inseparable.

“So, you joined a dance company?” Azula asked.

Ty Lee looked surprised by the question, or perhaps by the fact that Azula was attempting to talk to her at all. “Yeah! I actually moved out after the girls recruited me.”

“And what did your parents think of that?”

“Nah, they're fine. They have their work and my sisters to worry about.” Ty Lee gave a little dismissive wave of her hand. “They stopped bothering me after I let them know I was okay.”

Azula nodded. She knew all about Ty Lee’s situation. She remembered how Ty Lee used to stay at her house for days on end and her parents would rarely notice she was gone.

“How about you?” asked Ty Lee. “Where are you going to school next year?”

“Ba Sing Se University,” she replied, not without a little bit of pride. “I got in with a scholarship. It’s not Agni U, I know, but I figured it wasn’t a bad choice.”

“That’s amazing! I shouldn’t be surprised, though—you’ve always been brilliant.”

She rolled her eyes even though she liked compliments, which made Ty Lee giggle for some reason. Azula hadn’t realized how much she had missed her laugh until she heard it again.

A few minutes had gone by before one of them spoke again.

“Azula, I know we – I mean, it’s been a long time since we last talked,” Ty Lee began, and Azula's heart dipped. "I know it didn't really end well. But I want to—"

“Look, Ty Lee, I don’t think I’m ready for that conversation yet.” Azula tried her best to say that without any real sting. “Like you said, it was a long time ago.”

Another beat of silence until: “I was just going to tell you that I’ve missed you.”

The way Ty Lee said it—quiet and low, eyebrows drawing up slightly as she met Azula’s gaze, her owlish eyes vulnerable—was painful in its familiarity. A fragment of a memory sprung into her mind again, unprompted. ( _Why are you being like this, Azula?_ she had said)

“I'm…” Azula faltered, then clamped her mouth shut. She was ill-prepared for this, she was ill-suited for all of this. It was strange how the only things she found difficult to do were the ones that, no matter how hard she tried to deny, meant the most to her.

When Azula gathered herself enough to speak, she said, “I’m sorry... for everything.”

She managed to surprise Ty Lee with something she said for the second time that night. 

Ty Lee gingerly reached out and Azula braced herself for the contact, but she paused halfway, her hand hovering midair in the space between them. Azula stared at it. Ty Lee's fingers looked graceful, delicate, belying the strength Azula knew they held. Just as Azula thought Ty Lee had completely changed her mind, her hand crossed the remaining distance and landed gently on top of Azula's.

Azula didn’t even realize she’d been holding her breath until she unburdened her lungs with an exhale, feeling Ty Lee’s warm palm against the back of her hand. 

There were still some things that needed to be addressed between the two of them, but it wouldn't do her any good to barrel right into it. _Take one step at a time,_ her therapist always told her. This was one of those countless times that her advice came in handy. 

The two of them shared a tentative, awkward smile. It was a start.


	2. Ty Lee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> of misunderstandings and useless lesbians

Ty Lee swiveled so hard that she nearly fell off her chair. 

“Azula?” she said in a near whisper, because she had to make sure this wasn't some mirage.

Standing over her was the very person she simultaneously hoped and feared to meet when she decided to spend her summer in Ba Sing Se. And she was gaping at Ty Lee like she had just seen a ghost.

Azula was wearing a green apron over a white collared shirt, a pen tucked behind her ear, frantic amber eyes flittering all over Ty Lee's face. It was unlike the intense, unflappable girl she recalled from forever ago, but she had no doubt it was her. She would recognize that face anywhere.

Her voice seemed to shake Azula from whatever stupor she found herself in. After a moment's deliberation, Ty Lee got to her feet and hugged Azula like she used to.

The ensuing conversation was… a little strained. Ty Lee tried too hard while Azula looked a little out of sorts and didn’t seem willing to engage.

“I didn’t know you were friends with Azula,” Aang asked, jerking Ty Lee out of her thoughts.

She nodded. “I've known her since we were kids, but she moved here when…” she stopped. Ty Lee didn’t know if what happened to Azula’s dad was as much of a common knowledge here as it was in the Fire Nation.

“Yeah, I heard about that,” Aang said and sounded genuinely saddened about it. “I’m friends with Zuko so that’s how I knew.”

“Really? So you know Mai?”

“I do! She arrived last month. We haven’t really talked a lot though, but Mai’s nice!”

Ty Lee tried not to snort at that. She never heard anyone say Mai’s name and the word _nice_ in the same breath.

The girl who arrived with their order wasn’t Azula.

“Hey!” Aang greeted as the girl carefully placed their tea on the table. He gestured towards Ty Lee and said, “By the way, this is my cousin, the one I told you about who’s staying with us this summer? Her name's Ty Lee.”

“Ty Lee?” The girl looked at her with gradually widening eyes. “Like Azula’s friend, _Ty_ _Lee_?”

The only way Katara could’ve known that was if Azula had talked about her, or at least mentioned her once. She shouldn’t be pleased about it, but she was a bit surprised to learn that she wasn’t the only one who still thought about the other.

_Now stop getting ahead of yourself, Azula could’ve been saying bad things about you the whole time…_

“That’s me.” she said. Why was she being so awkward? She amended with a friendly smile. “Nice to meet you, uh…”

“Katara,” it was Aang who answered. “She’s my friend and, um, she—”

“We used to be a thing in middle school ‘cause I thought I had a crush on him but it turns out I’m a lesbian.” Katara said all that with an innocent too-bright smile, then laughed when Aang started to blush. “Sorry, I just like to mess with him.”

“It’s all true, though,” added Aang with a grin, having quickly recovered from his embarrassment.

Katara smiled at him. “Anyway, I have to head back to the kitchen. Don’t hesitate to call for us if you need anything!”

Ty Lee and Aang waved at her and set about drinking their tea. Ty Lee sighed contentedly after a sip of hers—Iroh’s tea was still the best, apparently. It tasted like past summer days when Azula’s uncle was in town for a visit.

“I think you’re really going to enjoy your stay here, Ty Lee.” Aang said to her, beaming as he cradled his cup of tea with both hands. “It’s only your first day and already you met an old friend _and_ made a new one!”

She did her best to match his enthusiasm. “I’m looking forward to it.”

~

Ty Lee couldn’t stop thinking about Azula for the rest of the day. She was lying in bed replaying their unexpected interaction in her head when she got Mai’s text:

_**on my way be there in 10** _

_**have to pick up our dinner first** _

_**okay!! see ya** _ **😻**

She got out of the guest room that was going to be hers for the whole summer and made her way downstairs.

Gyatso’s house was very neat and homey, and the air around the place seemed to be constantly tinged with some calming scent—probably from the incense Gyatso lights during his meditations. His home reflected Gyatso perfectly. Ty Lee only met him a few times when she was younger, and even then he was already one of her favorite people. Not only could he remember her name, he also always had a smile and a kind word for her. She wasn’t really surprised when he was the only one other than Mai who was willing to fly all the way to Kyoshi Island to watch her first performance even though she invited every family member she knew.

Ty Lee found him in the living room flipping through the channels on his tv. He looked up and smiled when he saw her. “Done unpacking?” he asked.

“Yep, all finished,” she said. “Also, I was going to ask you if it’s okay if I go out this evening? I’m just going to meet up with my friend since we haven’t seen each other in a while. You know Ukano’s daughter, Mai?”

“Ukano has a daughter?” he chuckled self-deprecatingly. “I’m so sorry, my dear, I seem to have forgotten. And of course you can go out with your friend! Go have fun, you can always call if you need anything, like a ride home or if you need me to bail you out of jail.” He said the last part with a twinkle in his eye.

Ty Lee giggled. “I promise I won’t get myself thrown into jail.” She’d heard stories about the Dai Li and would rather not try to see for herself if they were true. “But on the off-chance that something as interesting as getting in trouble with the law happens to me, I will let you know.”

“That’s reassuring,” Gyatso said after another chuckle.

Mai pulled up in front of Gyatso’s house five minutes later than she said. Ty Lee got inside the car with a barely concealed squeal and instantly smothered her friend with a hug. She flung herself into Mai so hard, her friend let out a wheeze.

“You’re acting like we haven’t seen each other for years. Didn’t I just visit you a few months ago?” Mai mumbled against Ty Lee’s shoulder.

“That’s still a long time, silly.” She extracted herself from Mai and settled down on the passenger’s seat.

The car ride to Mai’s apartment was filled with meaningless chatter, and as usual Ty Lee was the one doing most of the talking. She told her friend about how she really liked Gyatso’s house, asked her if she was excited about going to college next year, filled her in about that girl Ty Lee dated a while back and how it didn’t really work out.

The place where Mai lived looked impressive, exactly like one of those art-deco-style upscale buildings she saw in movies and magazines. It looked like it would fit someone with an expensive taste like Azula, but when they got inside the apartment it was all Mai: predominantly black, minimalist furnishing, a decorative antique Imperial Fire Nation dagger displayed in one corner. Mai told her last year that she decided to move halfway across the world for college for a fresh start. She didn’t have the best home life, just like Ty Lee and Zuko and Azula. Sometimes Ty Lee wondered if that was the thing that drew the four of them close in the first place.

They were eating their takeout dinner in the living room with the tv on when she finally decided to tell Mai about the topic she’d been avoiding.

“I saw Azula this morning,” she said, trying to sound normal and not at all like someone whose mind had been stuck on her estranged best friend who may or may not be her first love.

Mai’s hand froze for a moment, then looked up to stare at her. It was the most she’d ever reacted to anything Ty Lee had said that evening.

“How?” Mai asked.

“Aang took me to Iroh’s tea shop after picking me up from the airport. I didn’t know she worked there.” She shrugged. “We only talked for, like, less than a minute, though.”

Mai’s eyes narrowed. Ty Lee felt weirdly defensive under her friend’s scrutiny. “That’s it?”

“Yeah, she left after taking our order and didn’t come back.”

Mai hummed like she was convinced and went back to eating her dinner.

Ty Lee waited a few seconds before she asked, “Have you talked to her at all?”

“I’m dating her brother, Ty Lee. Azula and I see each other a lot.”

“And you didn’t tell me about it?!”

“We’re not suddenly best friends again, so don’t worry about being left out,” Mai said dryly, flicking at a piece of meat with her chopsticks. “Besides, she mostly hangs out with the other lesbians in their little social circle.”

_Wait, what?_

Ty Lee was leaning over the table now. “What do you mean _other lesbians_?”

“Azula’s gay, didn’t you know?” her friend said casually, oblivious to the fact that everything Ty Lee knew about Azula was suddenly turned on its head. “She’s friends with that girl she works with,” Mai added.

“You mean _Katara_?”

Mai raised an eyebrow at her. “So you’ve met her? Zuko told me she punched him in the face once for being a jerk. She’s okay, I guess.”

Ty Lee didn’t bother reacting to that random piece of information. She was trying to recall this Katara and her face from their brief meeting earlier. She was pretty, Ty Lee had to admit, and very friendly, too. Katara didn’t seem like someone Azula would date, though.

 _How sure about that are you?_ a tiny voice in her head argued _. You haven’t seen Azula in years, maybe she’s changed. And you don’t even know if she has a type in the first place_.

“Ty Lee,”

She jerked out of her spiraling thoughts. “Mhmm?”

“I asked you if you changed your mind about not going to BSSU.” Mai seemed a bit annoyed, but something about the small tilt of her lips looked shrewd, like she knew exactly where Ty Lee's mind just went. 

A few months ago, her dance company’s artistic director invited a friend of hers to observe them. They had no idea that she was actually the chair of Ba Sing Se University’s Dance department. A week later, Ty Lee and her friend Suki were told they were being offered a full scholarship to take one of BSSU’s dance programs.

Ty Lee had until next week to confirm her decision or she would be forced to give it up.

“I don’t know… I actually haven’t gotten back to them yet.” Ty Lee shrugged. “I’m happy to stay with the company, learn from experience and all that.”

“If that’s what you want,” Mai told her. “I’m not going to tell you what to do or anything, but it does sound like a great opportunity. Just saying.”

Ty Lee knew that very well. BSSU’s performing arts school was the best of its kind and admissions was very selective and competitive. A lot of people would kill to be in Ty Lee’s place. Suki accepted the moment they were told, but Ty Lee couldn’t seem to get herself to be as decisive as her.

They sat in Mai’s small balcony after eating, just idling and enjoying the view. When Mai slipped a cigarette between her lips, Ty Lee gave her a disapproving look.

“God, you’re just like Zuko,” she muttered, pulling a lighter out of her pocket. “I don’t always smoke, you know.”

She let it slide and reclined back to her chair, staring out into the cityscape before her. Ba Sing Se was pulsing with life even at night: loud, bright, and glowing. But they were high up enough to be away from the noise and enjoy the view of the city lights in peace, outside looking in but still feeling like she was a part of it all.

The silence allowed her thoughts to drift back to Azula.

~

_“Chan asked me on a date.”_

_Ty Lee nearly choked on her sandwich. “What?”_

_“You mean that idiot who always wears sleeveless shirts?” Mai said without even looking up from her book._

_“Exactly that Chan, the one everyone seems to be clamoring for.” Azula smirked smugly. “I agreed.”_

_“You did?!” Ty Lee sputtered, feeling her eyes bulge. Azula had never gone out with a guy_ ever _. Boys get intimidated by her and the ones who asked her before had all been ruthlessly rejected._

_Ty Lee felt like smashing her head against a wall for some reason._

_“Don’t sound so surprised, Ty Lee. You go on a date with a different guy every other week and I never say anything.”_

_“Where is he taking you anyway?” asked Mai._

_“To go see a movie.”_

_Mai let out a sound that could’ve been a chuckle except it was cut off short. “He’s definitely going to try to kiss you. You sure you’re ready for that?”_

_Azula glowered at Mai, her cheeks dusted pink. “Are you trying to imply that I can’t handle a date with a stupid boy?”_

_“I mean, you haven’t kissed anyone yet, have you?” Mai replied airily._

_Fuming, Azula pushed back her chair and stood, storming away from their table with her fists balled up. Ty Lee watched her retreating form with a sigh._

_She turned to Mai. “Did you really have to do that?”_

_“What? Nothing about what I said was worth being so worked up about. It’s not my fault she’s so sensitive.”_

_Ty Lee slammed her hand against the table, startling Mai and prompting a few looks from the other students near them. “Why don’t you just try understanding her for once? Azula’s been through a lot and it doesn’t help her if you piss her off all the time.”_

_Mai had the decency to look slightly guilty. She placed her book on the table carefully and said, “I get that you care about her, Ty Lee. I do, too. But you have to admit that she’s been treating us like crap lately.”_

_“Walking out is hardly—”_

_“I’m not talking about what happened just now.”_

_Ty Lee lowered her gaze. She suddenly felt like crying, but she gritted her teeth to stop the urge. “What do you want me to do? Just start ignoring her when she acts out? You know exactly why she’s… Things have been hard for her.”_

_“I’m not saying that, but you have to call her out on her shit. She’s too controlling of us, like we’re her servants and not her friends. And sometimes she says the worst things to you and you don’t even react.” Mai let out a sigh. “You’re not helping Azula or yourself if you keep letting her do that.”_

_She bit her lip hard, teeth puncturing skin, the metallic tang of blood coating her tongue. Her eyes were trained on her abandoned lunch when her vision started to blur._

_Mai squeezed her hand. “Don’t start crying here,” she said, an uncharacteristic softness in her tone._

_Ty Lee headed to the nearest bathroom, locked herself in a stall, and cried._

_The next day, when she stopped by at Azula’s house on a warm Saturday afternoon, her best friend was in a better mood. She_ hoped _so hard that things would be better for longer this time._

_They went upstairs to her room and Ty Lee helped Azula choose an outfit for her date that night._

_Azula stood in front of the mirror attached to her large closet, wearing the clothes that Ty Lee had picked: dark skinny jeans that clung to her legs nicely and a strawberry-red top. She found it hard to breathe all of a sudden._

_“What do you think?” Azula said, turning to face her. She struck a pose, and Ty Lee thought she might lose her mind._

_“It looks great! You look amazing!”_

_Azula smiled, satisfied. “This whole dating thing is so idiotic and exhausting. How on earth do you manage to do this so often?”_

_Ty Lee giggled and slipped beside Azula to stand in front of the mirror. She examined their reflection, struck by how good they look standing next to each other, so good that if the two of them were to go out on a date everyone’s heads would turn towards them. She entertained the idea for a second before reality set back in._

_The truth was, Ty Lee was probably in love with her best friend. She had no experience about the whole thing other than entertaining her long string of admirers, which hardly counted, but what she felt for Azula was too close to what she had read and watched about love to not be the real deal._

_But these feelings weren't exactly...normal. It was in other nations, she'd heard, but not so much here. Azula’s dad would probably disown her for it. She couldn’t bear to be the reason for Azula to deal with another hard blow like that._

_So she kept it to herself and tried loving Azula in ways she actually could._

_Like being patient and understanding and helping her dress up for her date with a stupid boy, all smiles and enthusiasm despite the feeling in her gut like she swallowed a bunch of nails._

_“Just remember how dumb boys are and it gets easier,” Ty Lee said, meeting Azula’s eyes on the mirror._

_Azula laughed at that. “You’re not wrong.”_

_Moments later, Azula’s smile faded a little. “Do you actually like all those guys you go out with?” she asked._

_She crooked one finger under her chin as if she still had to think about her answer. “They’re alright, I guess. Some of them are nice, but I can’t say I liked any of them.” She half-shrugged. “I don’t really care for boys, actually. They’re all the same and predictable.”_

_“Let me guess,” Azula said, “you still keep saying yes to every guy who asks you out because you like the attention?” She rolled her eyes. “God, Ty Lee, you’re so shallow.”_

_Ty Lee swallowed the bitter feeling that rose from the insult and plastered on a smile. “That means I have experience,” she said. “You know, I can teach you how to kiss if you want? Just in case Chan tries to—”_

_She was cut off by the expression of pure disdain on Azula’s face._

Oh no. Why did I say that?

_“I think we can do that.” Azula murmured, more to herself than to Ty Lee. “It makes sense to be prepared. It wouldn’t be good to let Chan have the upper hand.”_

_Azula wasn’t staring daggers at her, or looked at her with disgust like Ty Lee dreaded she would. Instead she looked… not exactly nervouse, but hesitant and determined all at once._

_Warmth spread through her chest despite the pounding of her heart._

_She took one of Azula’s hands, led her to her bed and sat her down. They were both sitting cross-legged and facing each other. “Are you sure about this?” she asked, impressed by herself for remaining calm._

_Azula nodded stiffly. “Just get on with it,” she said, then closed her eyes._

_Ty Lee took a moment to study Azula’s face. Her best friend didn’t look pretty, she was_ beautiful, _always_ _had_ _been. She couldn’t point out a single flaw in her features, and her lips looked like it would feel soft if she pressed it with hers._

_She sucked in a breath, leaned in, and did just that._

_Azula was unresponsive for a second, but when she finally did kiss back it was like her mouth melted against Ty Lee’s. The kiss had none of the irritating itch from a boy’s stubble, or the panicked hastiness of someone trying too hard. It was pleasant and sweet and a little awkward and utterly perfect. The stuff of a girl’s impossible dreaming. Ty Lee was afloat with a feeling she couldn’t put a name to._

_When they broke apart, the two of them were both breathing hard. Azula’s face and neck were flushed red. Tentatively, she slipped her hand out of Ty Lee’s loose braid, fingers brushing briefly against her arm along the way until landed near Ty Lee's lap. “That wasn’t too bad.”_

_“I guess you’re a natural,” Ty Lee breathed, her voice a little unsteady. “Now you’re ready for your date tonight.”_

_Something about what she said made Azula’s eyes dim. “Yeah, that.” Abruptly, she got out of her bed, crossing over her bedroom to sit in front of her vanity. “I have to get ready now, Chan will pick me up soon.”_

_It was still four, and Chan wouldn’t be here till six._

_Ty Lee uncrossed her legs and stood, smoothing down her skirt with her clammy hands. “I better get going, then.”_

_“Okay,” said Azula, her back still turned to Ty Lee._

_Ty Lee left Azula’s house still buzzing from that kiss, but the way Azula seemed to look uneasy after, the way she seemed to have shut off, made her bubbling feelings take a step back._

_Azula went on to pretend it never happened, so Ty Lee did the same._

~

That night, after Mai had dropped her off, she lay in her bed and stared at the ceiling as her resolve crystallized in her mind:

She was going to try to mend things with Azula.

If it all crashed and burned in the end, Ty Lee would take the fall. She would leave the city and they would never have to see each other again. But she had to _try._

~

Ty Lee woke feeling refreshed the next morning.

She walked into the kitchen to find Gyatso and Aang already there. “Good morning!”

“Morning!” Aang greeted back as she sat down beside him.

There were two plates of fruit slices on the table and the air was filled with the aroma of whatever Gyatso was cooking. He stood at the stove, wearing a slightly frilly yellow apron patterned with the logo of Aang’s soccer team. “That smells good, Gyatso!”

He glanced at her over his shoulders. “Oh, it’s just vegetable stir-fry dear.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, dad, your stir-fries are amazing,” said Aang as he poured her tea.

“Thanks, Aang.” she said.

Aang nudged her on the shoulder. “Got any plans today?”

“Actually, I do.” Ty Lee grabbed a fruit slice and nibbled on it. “Is it okay if I borrow your bike? I feel like seeing a bit of the city for myself.”

“Sure, no problem!”

Conversation was easy and light while the three of them ate breakfast (and Aang was right, Gyatso was an excellent cook). Ty Lee was looking forward to her day, despite the underlying nervousness she kept brushing off.

She rode Aang’s bike along the wide paved streets of Ba Sing Se, tracing the way to Iroh’s tea shop by memory. Everything was sun-splashed and warm under the morning light, cars of various shades whizzing past her and some vendors along a particularly busy street waving at her with kind smiles. The wind tossed her hair around, fluttering her summer dress. 

Ty Lee slowed to a stop when she reached her destination—

—and the sight that greeted her made her pause.

Azula got out of a car with Katara. The latter was grinning, while Azula’s expression was the exact opposite. Ty Lee was far enough for them not to notice her but she still backed away a little, half-hidden by the small red car near her. Katara fell into step beside Azula then linked their arms together, her mouth moving to say something that made Azula roll her eyes and smile indulgently, her dark mood all but gone. Ty Lee's eyes followed them until they disappeared into the tea shop.

She always tried to be the type of person to not run from things, but at that moment she wanted nothing else but to leave.

On her way back to Gyatso’s house, she started to notice the overflowing trash cans lining the streets, the paint peeling off some of the buildings, the combined stench of car exhaust and rotting garbage. Ty Lee didn’t greet the street vendors back as she pedaled past them again and she scowled at other bikers when they got too close to her. The sun hurt her eyes, the cars honking at her hurt her ears, and she just couldn’t bring herself to stop thinking about the easy affection between Azula and Katara.

Ty Lee had no right to be jealous. She and Azula had not been friends for a very long time, and even if they were it was still stupid. But emotions lorded over reason. 

When she got home, she planned on locking herself inside her room and sleep for the rest of day. Maybe then she could stop being so affected by the idea that Azula might have a _girlfriend_. A girlfriend who was beautiful and nice, someone who could somehow make her genuinely smile, and with Azula that was such a rare feat. Ty Lee used to be one of the very few people who could coax one out of her.

In her hurry to get to her room, she bumped into Aang at the bottom of the stairs.

“Oh, sorry,” Aang said, even though he was the one who nearly stumbled after Ty Lee basically barreled right into him. “You’re home already.”

Ty Lee forced a smile. “I suddenly felt like arranging my stuff,” she lied.

“Oh, cool. You think you’ll be done by tonight? One of my friends invited us over to her house and I figured it’s the perfect time for you to meet everyone.”

Under normal circumstances, Ty Lee would jump at the chance to meet new people, make new friends. 

Now she hesitated before asking, “Will Azula be there?”

“Maybe. I'm sure Katara’s gonna show up, so Azula will probably go with her.” answered Aang.

 _Well, that’s just fantastic_.

When Ty Lee still hadn’t said anything, Aang’s smile started to falter. “It’s okay if you don’t want to go,” Aang told her sheepishly, “I just thought I’d ask you since Zuko and his girlfriend are also going and he told me you guys know each other. I’m sorry if it sounded like I was forcing you to—”

“No, don’t apologize. I’d love to go.” _Spirits help me_.

“Oh, uh, that’s great.” Her cousin’s face lit up. “We’ll leave at six.”

“Can’t wait!”

After that, Ty Lee got inside her room and thought she might as well begin to arranging her things. She couldn’t nap now, not when she was all stressed out about a party. Later, when there was nothing left to organize, she texted Mai.

 _ **heyyy**_ **😽** _ **r u going to the party tonight?**_ **🤔**

_**it’s not a party** _

**_and yes_ **

_**are u?** _

_**yea**_ **😺** _ **going w aang**_

**_ok_ **

_**don’t text me again im busy** _

Ty Lee sprawled on her bed. She squeezed her eyes shut then wrung her hands in an attempt to untangle the anxious knots in her chest. When that didn’t work, she sat up in a lotus position and went through some basic breathing exercises. She felt herself calm down with each exhale.

When her mind was cleared of negative energy, she tried to assess her situation and develop a game plan. _This is exactly how Azula would go about this_.

 _So, you’re not just thinking about her now, you’re also thinking_ like _her,_ said a voice in her head that sounded like Mai’s. She ignored it.

There was a good chance that Azula would be at the party-that-wasn’t-a-party with (her maybe girlfriend) Katara. Okay. She would have to act nice and unbothered. That wasn’t too hard. All her complicated emotions aside, she actually was looking forward to seeing Azula again. People tend to to appreciate someone even more once they were gone, and Ty Lee had spent the better part of the last two years thinking she would never get her old friend back.

Ty Lee tried on eight different outfits before deciding on a simple high-waisted jean shorts and a pink top. She put on a bit of makeup, and swept her hair off her shoulders with a few bobby pins.

Aang knocked on her door five minutes before six, then they got into his car together. Ty Lee found talking to Aang easy, so she distracted herself from her creeping anxiety by talking to him about anything that struck her fancy for the entire ride, the radio blasting some summer-themed pop song that got her tapping her fingers on the dashboard.

They drove up a hill, the moonlit streets lined with trees and large houses seemingly erected to outdo the others. It was obviously a wealthy neighborhood. After a while, he turned towards a large gate between two lamp posts. He waved at someone outside and the gates opened with a groan. He started up it, winding through a brightly lit path until they reached a circular drive.

The house was one of the prettiest Ty Lee had ever seen. It was painted white and blue, resembling a modern-day castle more than anything else.

“This is your friend’s house?”

Aang chuckled. “Yue’s dad is the North Pole Ambassador so yeah. Their house is quite _grand_ , isn’t it?”

He followed Aang past monolith-like doors and into a massive lobby. The place was empty but there were voices echoing through the walls, one of which she recognized as Zuko’s.

They walked into a cavernous living room, the moon in full view through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows.

“Hey, guys!”

Everyone’s heads turned towards them.

“Hey, Aang!” the boy who had Zuko in a loose headlock said, then he gave her a brief quizzical look. “And you must be Aang’s cousin, Tyler. I’m Sokka!”

“ _Ty Lee_ ,” she corrected with a giggle. “Nice to meet you.”

She made sure she finished greeting and introducing herself to everyone before finally turning to face the only person who hadn’t said anything to her yet. “Hi, Azula,” she managed. “Good to see you!

A small smile crept across Azula’s face. A flare of light at the end of a dark tunnel.

Mai was right about it not being a party. They were just going to watch a movie and eat, apparently. She thought it was charming.

She offered to help carry the rest of the snacks left in the kitchen, Katara accompanying her.

“It's nice that you came,” Katara said. “We didn’t expect for you to show up but we really should’ve invited you in the first place.”

Ty Lee smiled genuinely. “It’s okay, don’t worry.”

There were two trays of cookies waiting for them in the kitchen counter. Katara snatched two gingersnaps and handed one to Ty Lee. She took a bite and couldn’t help but make a soft little sound in her throat. “This is _really_ good,” she said.

Katara smiled proudly. “My girlfriend made it.”

Ty Lee nearly spat out the perfectly soft bite of cookie from her mouth. “Azula bakes?!”

She could see how Azula was doing way better now and going to therapy, but _baking_? A memory of them nearly burning down the kitchen came to mind.

“What?” Katara stared at her like she had grown two heads, her hand lightly patting her on the back as she coughed a bit.

Then, a moment later, Katara began to laugh.

Ty Lee bristled. _Rude_. Maybe Katara wasn’t as nice as she first seemed. She could totally imagine this girl, who was still doubled over laughing, to be the one who punched poor Zuko like Mai had told her.

Katara wiped at the corner of her eyes when she finally calmed down. “I’m so sorry about that, it’s just—” She let out another snort. “Azula and I aren’t dating. I was talking about Yue. My girlfriend, Yue.”

 _Oh._

“I thought… well Mai said Azula’s gay – not that I have a problem with that! I am gay, too!” she stumbled through her words, then turned her burning face away. “I just assumed.”

“Hey, relax, it’s fine.” She felt Katara clasp her shoulder gently. “I’m sorry for reacting like that.”

Ty Lee looked at her again. “You must think I’m stupid.”

“No, of course not. Stuff like that happens.”

“You’re just saying that to make me feel less like an idiot.” she said with a self-deprecating smile.

“Yes, but I actually mean it. Trust me, I get it. Yue makes me act like a dumbass, too.”

Ty Lee’s eyes widened like she’d been caught. “I don’t – I mean, I think I still do, but it’s…”

“Complicated? I figured. And don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me.” she said, then her eyes took on a mischievous glint. “Don’t tell her I said this, but Azula’s a bit of a dumbass over you, as well.”

She chuckled at the thought. Azula could start talking in gibberish and she still wouldn’t be _dumb_ in her eyes.

They went back to rejoin the others to find half the lights shut off, then laid the trays next to the others. She bounded over to Mai and plopped down on the space her friend had left for her. The movie started but Ty Lee found it hard to settle her nerves. It was the good kind this time. The same kind of jitters she would get before a performance knowing she had mastered the routine.

From the corner of her vision, she saw how Azula's eyes flitted to her from across the room. She didn't return her gaze right away, faking obliviousness and kept her eyes on the movie playing out before her. A tingle coursed through her spine, and she grinned to keep her giddiness from imploding.

Bold, she chanced a glance towards Azula after a few minutes had passed. As soon as she did, Azula diverted her eyes away, eyebrows knitting together. Her lip was caught between her teeth while she frowned at the tv screen. A nervous tick Ty Lee had seen before.

She wasn't stupid. She knew what it meant.

Ty Lee thanked the spirits for her luck when they all filed outdoors towards Yue’s large swimming pool. Not because she had been itching to get outside, but because Azula was sitting all by herself while her other friends played in the pool.

“You should go talk to her,” Mai said after following her gaze. “If I someone tries to interrupt, I’ll ward them off.”

She smiled at Mai and leaned forward to give her a quick kiss on the cheek before she could object. “Wish me luck!”

“And now you've ruined it,” she said before walking over to where Zuko was.

Her confidence faltered a bit when she was finally in front of Azula. But Azula let her sit beside her, started a conversation herself albeit a little inelegantly. Ty Lee knew it for the olive branch that it was. An attempt to bury the hatchet.

Azula's apology, short yet earnest, sealed the whole thing. 

Talking to Azula felt like walking along the street you grew up in but hadn’t visited for years, like grasping at an old memory and finding it jagged at the edges but the feelings you associate with it were lucid as ever.

Behind Azula, Aang and Sokka were running across the yard then jumping towards the pool in a giant splash. A tiny drop of water landed on Azula’s cheek. Ty Lee itched to wipe it off with her own hand.

 _I remember how you chased me across your backyard when we were young. You pinned me to the ground, our squeals mingling into one synchronized noise as we roll around the grass. We laughed and laughed and laughed until I start feeling like bursting from the inside_.

The ride back home with Aang was quiet save for the calm beat from the song playing on the car radio. The voice that was singing dripped with a yearning Ty Lee understood. She caught some of the words and drew up scenes in her mind, all with Azula in them.

She went home with Azula’s number on her phone and the imprint of warmth from Azula's hand on hers. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you to everyone who left a comment and a kudos <3


	3. Azula

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fluff

Azula’s phone chimed and her heart leapt when she saw who it was. 

**_good mornin_ ** **😚😎**

**_It's already noon, ty lee_ **

**_just woke up_ **

**_and i like greeting u_ **

The corners of her mouth betrayed her will by lifting up in a smile. They had been texting each other for a couple of days now. It was fun. Ty Lee’s eagerness allowed no space for either of them to be awkward, the two of them smoothly adjusting to some form of familiarity that wasn’t quite like what they used to have, but it was something nonetheless.

**_Thank you, then._ **

**_so formal_ ** **😹 _uhh_** **🙄**

**_anyway r u busy???_ **

**_Shift just ended, so no._ **

**_great.! i was wondering if we can go out today?????_ **

**_anywhere u want to go u choose_ **

**_?????_ **

**_Why, you can't be decisive enough to pick a place?_ **

It took a while before Ty Lee replied and in those spare seconds, Azula realized how that last text might sound to her.

**_That was a joke, by the way.._ **

**_yea lol i know_ **

**_i can just go to your house if thats ok?_ **

**_aang can drop me off hes on his way to soccer practice_ **

**_That sounds good._ **

**_perfect! see ya_ ** **👀😏**

**_Okay_. **

Azula pocketed her phone. The book she'd been reading had fallen off her lap so she picked it up and flipped it open, crossing her legs on the couch. Azula tried to shift back her attention to the author’s long-winded explanation about his theory on public policy, but the words eluded her distracted mind. After a while, she gave up with a huff and laid it on the coffee table before her, catching her brother's eyes when she looked up.

“You were smiling,” Zuko stated like he'd just unlocked a secret wisdom the universe decided to impart to him. “That was Ty Lee you were texting, wasn't it?”

_He thinks he’s so smart for figuring that out._

“As a matter of fact, it was. She's coming over.”

“Oh, that’s good.” He nodded like a dumbass. “You two are dating now or something?” 

_Of course he’d ask that. Predictable_. “It’s only been a few days since she got here, I’m not as stupid as you to rush into things like that.”

To her surprise, Zuko cracked a smug grin. “So you do like her.”

“You’re _reaching,_ Zuzu.” Azula was _not_ blushing. “What does it matter to you, anyway?”

“I just want you to be happy, is all. You haven’t really dated anyone seriously since you came out.”

Times like these, Azula missed it when Zuko was nothing but a hot-tempered knucklehead who was too busy throwing tantrums and being emo to stick his nose in other people’s business.

“I can do well on my own, unlike you and Mai.” 

It was a testament to Zuko’s change when he took that light insult in stride. “True, but Ty Lee’s nice and you two know each other so well already. I just thought it’d be great if—”

“Are we even talking about the same person? Ty Lee’s as straight as a plank of wood,” she said, folding her arms. “I mean, she _reeks_ of it.”

For some reason, that made her brother guffaw and slap his thigh like someone who was deranged.

“You mean you don’t know?” he said when he’d sobered. 

“Know _what_?” she spat.

Another chuckle, and then, “Ty Lee likes girls.”

With that, Azula’s brain snapped into a calculating focus.

She frantically reevaluated all information off the top of her head about Ty Lee, sifting through them for _anything_ to prove or disprove what Zuko blithely claimed.

She came to the conclusion that her brother was a big fat liar.

“Like _hell_ she does.”

Zuko held up one of his hands. “I swear! Mai told me her ex was a girl.”

“She lied.”

“Why would she even do that?” said Zuko with a frown.

“She _is_ your girlfriend, and you’re an idiot.”

Zuko’s amusement dissolved into irritation. “You’re just in denial about it.”

Her retort was cut off by a gentle knock on the door.

“I’ll ask Ty Lee herself since you don’t want to believe me.”

Azula shot him a warning glance. “You wouldn’t dare,” she said, her voice menacing.

“Watch me.”

Zuko stood and made to walk towards the door, but Azula was too fast for him. She managed to snatch his arm, vaguely wishing she still kept her nails long so she could dig them on his skin. He yanked out of her grip, and Azula was quick to slip her foot in front of him. Zuko stumbled headlong to the floor with a yelp. She stepped over him to get to the door, but Zuko got a hold of her foot and she fell down against him, wincing as her elbow hit against polished wood.

They were still struggling against each other—pulling and pushing as they both scrambled to get up and reach Ty Lee before the other—when Ty Lee’s voice came, “Hello? Azula?”

Azula and Zuko froze for a second, shared a look, then quickly resumed their scrambling.

“Uhh… is anyone–“ A loud thud as Zuko landed on his stomach after Azula kicked the back of his left knee. “–what was that? Azula, are you there?”

“I’m here, just— _Hey_!”

Zuko pushed her hard and ran to the door.

“Hey, Ty Lee!” Azula heard him say.

“Zuko, are you okay? Where’s Azula?”

“She’s here, but before that I just have something to ask you. It’s important.”

“Don’t listen to him!” she shouted then practically sprinted towards them, shoving Zuko out of the way when she got to him.

Ty Lee blinked at her. “Azula, you’re panting, what—”

“Never mind that, let’s go to my room.” She seized Ty Lee’s hand and steered her to the direction of the stairs.

“But Zuko said—”

“Ignore him.”

She thought she was safe, but then Zuko ran past them to block their way at the bottom of the stairs that led to their rooms. _Shit_. 

“You like girls, right?” Zuko spoke in a rush, staring right at Ty Lee, and Azula fought the sudden urge to break his nose.

Ty Lee looked nonplussed. “What?”

“I’m trying to prove a point,” Zuko quickly added. “You see, I told Azula that you had a girlfriend but she doesn’t believe me. It’s true, right?”

“How did you… _Mai_ ,” Ty Lee muttered. Her eyes turned to Azula, then back to Zuko. “Yeah, it’s true.”

Azula’s heart stopped for the briefest moment.

“Okay, you got your answer,” she said aloud. “Now get the hell out of our way.”

Zuko obeyed and Azula stomped upstairs, pulling Ty Lee along with her. She slammed the door shut when they got inside her room.

The air around them was tense. Ty Lee chuckled awkwardly. “So, that was…”

“Sorry about that. You know Zuko.”

“It’s fine, really.” She smiled like she understood. A stretch of silence followed.

Ty Lee was the one to break it. “So…this is your room.” She scanned her eyes around. Azula took note of the things her gaze lingered at: her bookshelves bursting with volumes of a wide array of subjects, the violin case which sat in one corner gathering dust, the bed that was pushed against one wall.

“Make yourself at home,” Azula told her. “You want something to drink?”

“It’s okay, don’t trouble yourself.” Ty Lee sat on the edge of the bed. She cocked her head to the side, her wide eyes studying Azula. “Come sit here with me, you’re so tense.”

“I am not,” she scoffed, but sat down beside her anyway.

Ty Lee shrugged, smirking. “If you say so.”

Why wasn’t she annoyed by that? She should be annoyed. Instead she was trying not to smile too wide just so she could still keep a little bit of her dignity intact.

“So, what did you come here for?” The words, coupled with the nearly-robotic tone her voice was prone to get when she got nervous, made it sound like she didn’t want Ty Lee around at all, which was very much the opposite. Ty Lee just looked amused.

“Gee, Azula, no need to jump right into business,” said Ty Lee with a coquettish smile, “Can’t a girl just relax for a minute?”

Azula spluttered. 

“Sorry, I’ll stop,” Ty Lee said, holding both her hands up. “I just want to talk to you, no ulterior motives whatsoever.” She was giving Azula that appraising look again. From up close, it made her feel bare. Naked.

The idea of Azula being naked in her bedroom when Ty Lee was inside prompted a furious warmth to rush up to her cheeks.

She was positive that she looked like a hot mess, her face blushing and her normally well-kept hair a bit disheveled after her impromptu wrestle with Zuko. This wouldn’t do. She needed to gain the upper hand in this interaction, to not let herself be the ruffled one while Ty Lee remained cool and collected.

She undid her loose bun, letting the waves tumble down her back and across her shoulders. She felt Ty Lee staring while she lazily combed her fingers through her hair.

“So, how are you liking the city so far?” Azula asked, steering the conversation to where she wanted it.

Ty Lee pulled her knees up to her chest. “I haven’t seen much so I don’t really have an opinion yet,” she said, resting her cheek against the top of her knees to look at Azula, her head tilted. “What did you think about it when you first got here?”

“I wasn’t exactly in a good place emotionally at the time so I hated everything,” she replied.

Ty Lee’s eyes flickered with something that was too close to sympathy for comfort, so she hastily lightened the subject. “But I grew to love it here. It’s much busier than Caldera, but you get used to it. I can take you to some of my favorite spots, if you want.”

The smile that Ty Lee gave her was soft, a tender glimmer in her eyes. She had been on the receiving end of that smile a thousand times before. Azula used to think that it was something of Ty Lee’s that would always be for _her_ , something she could claim. It made her brave the times she had to watch her with some random guy, stopped her from dying a little inside.

“I’ll take you up on that.”

Azula fell back on her bed and stretched her arms, causing her shirt to ride up a little. She caught Ty Lee’s eyes land on the exposed patch of skin along her abdomen and stifled a smirk.

Growing bold, Azula said, “It could be our first date.”

Let it be known that Azula never did anything by halves, even when it came to girls. If she was in it, she was _in it._

It was Ty Lee’s turn to blush now, and she did so prettily that Azula almost felt her own creep back.

Ty Lee turned so Azula could see her face fully. “Do you want it to be?” 

“I’m the one who offered to take you out.”

Ty Lee lifted an eyebrow at her but didn’t say anything. She didn’t have to.

Azula was suddenly grateful for that stupid stunt Zuko pulled earlier, despite the intense embarrassment it brought her which would inevitably haunt her again before she slept that night.

Ty Lee plopped down beside her, then shifted to lie on her side. Azula mirrored her position so that they were facing each other. Their gazes locked, and Azula’s heart rate picked up.

“Remember how you, Mai, and I used to have sleepovers all the time?” Ty Lee asked, voice just above a whisper.

“I remember.” Azula smiled. “You’d stay for longer sometimes, even after Mai’s parents picked her up.”

“And your mom would prepare the biggest breakfast ever every morning and bring us snacks every hour. It was so…” She trailed off, then her hand flew to her mouth. She must have seen a small tremor in Azula's expression. 

Azula didn’t mean to be so transparent.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking.”

“It’s okay,” she assured Ty Lee, who looked like she would start crying if Azula hadn't intervened. “It’s just...it’s been a while since anyone who knew her mentioned her like that in front of me.”

Ty Lee looked hesitant for a second. “Like– like what?”

“Just talk about the good parts. Good memories,” Azula murmured. She and Zuko could deal with their grief better now, but they still couldn’t get themselves to sit and talk about their mother. There was so much to talk about, she thought, so much to remember that could make them smile and miss her, but in a good way. Like hearing an old song and being taken back to a time long passed. All of it was buried by the weight of resentment and the years that followed her death. Years of their dad neglecting them, then coming home only for him to berate and belittle her brother for no real reason and shape Azula into some version of him, forcing his own ambitions into her.

“I’m here if you want to talk about her,” Ty Lee offered, her hand finding Azula’s. “I miss her too, you know. She was like a second mother to me.”

“You did spend a ton of your time in our house when we were kids,” Azula said. Her lips lifted up in a faint smile, and Ty Lee seemed to light up at the sight of it.

They were quiet for some time. Azula thought about the days before the accident, and the ones after. It wasn’t the first time she realized just how glaring the difference was.

“I really was quite terrible to you and Mai back then, wasn’t I?”

Ty Lee squeezed her hand. “Hey, stop that,” she coaxed gently, “You apologized. That was enough for me.”

Azula squeezed back, grateful. “You should’ve seen Mai when I tried to apologize to her.”

“How did she take it?”

“She stopped me before I could even start, said she was over it.”

Ty Lee snorted. “Yeah, that does sound like Mai.”

They spent hours just lying there on Azula’s bed, talking about whatever came to mind, shared old memories and separate newer ones from the time they were apart, like Ty Lee’s experience with the Kyoshi dance company and the story of how Katara ended up being Azula’s friend. They traded stolen touches the whole time, featherlight brush of fingers against an arm, a hug whenever Ty Lee felt like giving one, their hands intertwined.

Azula reacquainted herself with someone she used to know so well, only to find that there wasn’t much of a gap to fill. Ty Lee was still Ty Lee, only a little more grown-up and a little wiser.

Ty Lee came and opened the floodgates, and she was swept away by the rushing flow, catching bits of old buried feelings all the while.

They were interrupted by a knock and her Uncle’s gentle voice through the door. “Azula, dinner is ready.”

“Dinner?” Azula pulled out her phone from her pocket and looked at the time. It was almost seven. She got up to draw her curtains to find that the sky had already turned dark.

“Guess we didn’t notice the time fly,” said Ty Lee with a grin.

Azula smiled back at her, just as wide. Something about Ty Lee made her feel comfortable, so naturally and without either of them even trying, like no one else could. She had missed it. She'd missed _her_.

“Is someone else there with you?” Uncle asked, sounding curious rather than suspicious. Uncle had always been lax about rules.

Ty Lee flew out of Azula’s bed and swung open the door. “Iroh!” She leapt to give him a hug before he could even respond.

“Ty Lee!” Uncle said as they pulled back, his hands grasping Ty Lee’s shoulders. “It’s been so long, child. I was hoping you’d visit when Gyatso told me you were here.”

“You two know each other?”

“Why, yes. We’re in the same Pai Sho club.”

Azula came up behind Ty Lee and rolled her eyes at her uncle. “Don’t get him started on Pai Sho, he’ll talk your ears off if you let him.”

Ty Lee stayed for dinner, and dinner at her house was the liveliest it had ever been in a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you thank you thank you to everyone for giving this a read and for your lovely comments i love all of you


	4. Ty Lee

Azula’s car smelled like her. Woody and lingering, soft hints of jasmine and cinnamon. 

It was probably a tad bit creepy for Ty Lee to be able to point out her friend's scent, but she was more attentive than she appeared. And this was Azula, after all. Her presence attracted attention. Demanded it.

Sokka’s party had already kicked into full swing by the time they arrived. Katara and Sokka’s house was located in the city’s middle ring, where the streets were quieter and mostly residential.

They spotted Katara in the packed living room, sprawled on the couch with her head resting on Yue’s lap. Katara’s voice pierced through the swell of noise when she called out to them. “I was starting to think you guys weren’t gonna show up,” she said, peering up at them. “Toph and Aang just left us when they heard there was an eating contest at Cabbage Man’s.”

“I can’t say I blame them since your brother seemed to have invited half the city," Azula said wryly.

“Come on, this is better than the last one.” Katara’s eyes narrowed. “But you ditched me that time so you wouldn’t know.”

Ty Lee cast her gaze around her. The music that pulsed through the room was loud but relaxed, not exactly dance-worthy, and most of the crowd seemed to have coalesced back in the kitchen. It wasn’t like the suffocating house parties she’d been to during her time at the Royal Academy, but it was livelier than what passed as one back in Kyoshi Island.

She noticed a cluster of boys near the hallway leading towards the kitchen eyeing her with undisguised interest. She ignored them.

She said, “Where’s Mai and Zuko?”

“Outside with Sokka.”

“You guys want to join them?” asked Yue.

“Sure.” She thought looked boring inside, anyway. 

They head out to the backyard. Ty Lee looped her arm through Azula’s, looking over at her as if to ask _is this okay_? Azula cracked a lopsided smile and Ty Lee didn’t try to hide the small lilt in her step as they followed Katara and Yue outside.

As they stepped out, they were met by Sokka. “Sis, we only need two people—”

“For the last time,” Katara interrupted, “I’m not playing your dumb game.”

Zuko reached them, looking as harried as Sokka when he grabbed Azula by her shoulders. “I know you hate me but I need a favor.”

“No,” Azula said firmly, batting his hands away.

Yue was looking at the boys with her arms crossed over her chest. “How about you two team up against your sisters instead?” she suggested, then threw a conspiratorial glance at Katara and Azula. “I’m sure they’d be up for that.”

Slowly, Katara and Azula glanced at each other in unison, their eyes glinting. Sokka and Zuko looked horrified, while Yue caught Ty Lee’s eyes and winked. Ty Lee was enjoying whatever was going on.

Later, she found herself sitting with Yue and Mai, their chairs facing the ongoing commotion in the middle of the backyard. Never in her wildest dreams did Ty Lee ever imagine watching Azula play a drinking game at a party. The Azula from long ago thought such things were beneath her.

Sokka and Zuko whooped loudly, the two of them grinning and clapping each other in the back. Katara’s face was pinched hard in a scowl from across the table and Azula snapped her fingers in her face. She talked away rapidly, gesticulating like she was laying out some strategy. Knowing Azula, she probably was.

They watched the game play out for a while until a group of guys started to block their view, standing a few ways away in front of them.

“Hey dickwads, get out of the way,” Mai said to them, the lack of emotion somehow making her sound threatening. The group turned—they were the same ones who kept staring at her earlier, she realized—and when they saw Ty Lee, Mai, and Yue all glaring at them they filtered away like flies.

One of them strayed away from the swarm and walked over. 

“Hey,” he said when he reached them, his eyes on Ty Lee. She acted like he wasn’t there.

The guy wasn’t fazed.

“I haven’t seen you around before, are you Sokka’s new girl?”

“No, I’m not,” Ty Lee said, finally sparing him a glance. “I came with my friend.” She tilted her head towards Azula.

His gaze followed the gesture. “Oh, _her_ …. Always thought she was kinda hot.” He leered down at her. “Not as much as you, though,” he said. “What’s your name?”

Ty Lee was a veteran of this game, but she’d retired from trying to stomach the company of men for a long time now. Even if she hadn’t, she only had eyes for one.

Still, it would be a waste not to exploit the situation a little bit.

“I’ll tell you if you go get us drinks,” she said, all coy and sickly sweet. The guy ate it up. Bolstered by her faux encouragement, he scrambled back inside to fetch them each a drink as he was bidden.

“You still do that?” said Mai, her brows snapped together.

“I’m too comfortable to get up. Just be glad I included you.” She giggled when Mai rolled her eyes.

Yue looked at her, equal parts amused and impressed. “What if he doesn’t leave you alone after he comes back?”

“Don’t worry, I know how to deal with that.”

The guy came back and handed them their drinks. He slid back to Ty Lee’s side, an obnoxiously cocky smile on his face. “So…?”

“Thanks for the drink, I’m Ty Lee.” She sounded direct and a bit dismissive, all traces of her fake sweetness gone.

He didn’t seem to take the hint though. “Pretty name. I’m Ruon-Jian.” He started to lean down a bit, his face encroaching Ty Lee’s vision. He stank of cigarettes and too-strong perfume. “You want to find somewhere…quieter?”

She caught Mai’s mouth turn in disgust from the corner of her eye.

“Wait, there must’ve been a mistake,” she said with affected innocence. “You see, I’m a raging _lesbian_.” She put extra emphasis on the word. “I thought everyone could tell, but—” she shrugged, “—clearly, I was wrong.”

Distantly, she heard a brief choking sound from Yue and a stifled snort from Mai. But she kept her eyes on Ruon-Jian, her wide smile daring him.

His head snapped away, blindsided. “I d-didn't—” he stammered like he just couldn’t grasp the idea.

Mai spelled it out for him. “She said she’s gay, idiot. Back off.”

That did it. Icing on the cake.

Ty Lee waved at him as he retreated to his friends. "It was nice meeting you, though!"

When he was out of earshot, Yue burst out laughing. “His _face_!”

“I know, right?” she said, still grinning. “It's fun, you should try it.”

“Please don’t ever change,” Mai said to her.

“ _Awww_ ,” She pulled her friend in a fleeting half-hug. “Even when I annoy you sometimes?”

“You can change that part.”

They turned their attention back to the game. Halfway through, Sokka and Zuko got sloppy and agitated as their sisters gradually gained the lead. Ty Lee could hardly keep up with the mechanics of it all but their reactions and body language were enough. Besides, she was content to relish having an excuse to stare at Azula. She was intensely focused, eyes flaring and eyebrows knitted, and at the back of her head Ty Lee imagined being on the other end of that table, to be the target of her sharp focus.

“Your girlfriends make a good team, don’t they?” Mai remarked.

“Not my girlfriend.” 

Yue didn’t say anything, just started shaking silently with her hand clamped against her mouth.

“Yue, are you…okay?” _Is she laughing?_

She stopped. “I’m fine, sorry, it’s just – Katara told me about that time you thought Azula baked the gingersnaps.”

_Oh, that. I was trying to forget it even happened, thanks for the reminder._

“Don’t worry, she didn’t tell anyone else,” Yue amended when she noticed her tense up. “Just me.”

Mai’s curiosity was piqued. “What happened?”

Yue gave Ty Lee a tentative glance before turning back to Mai. “I don’t think I should say.”

“I know every existing embarrassing story about Ty Lee except this one, you can tell me.”

“If that’s the case…” Yue began to say, and Ty Lee covered her face with her hands. “Ty Lee thought Katara and Azula were dating, so Katara had to... clarify things for her.”

A rare peal of laughter escaped from Mai. “You did?” she said to Ty Lee. “You could’ve just asked me, you know.”

“Well, I _was_ going to ask you, but it just slipped out of me that night, okay?” She sighed. “It’s fine, though, Katara was nice about it. But she did laugh at me at first.”

“I definitely would have if I was there.”

Azula’s loud cackle rang out like a town’s warning bell. Their heads whipped back to the table to find Azula and Katara cheering and pumping their fists in the air.

“Take that! We’ve defeated you at your own stupid game!” Azula said as Zuko visibly seethed, while Sokka’s whole body just drooped like his pride was damaged beyond repair.

After throwing a few more jabs and _lots_ of gloating, Azula and Katara surveyed the yard until they found them. Yue beckoned the two over and stood to meet Katara, who hopped right into her arms. They hugged like they’d been apart for months and Katara had just returned triumphant from a war. It was cute. 

“Did you see that? We absolutely demolished them,” Katara said, pulling her head back with her arms still wrapped around her girlfriend’s waist.

Yue pinched her cheek. “You did, no need to thank me even though the whole playing against your brother thing was my idea.”

Katara actually _giggled_ , which took Ty Lee by surprise for a second, then leaned down to kiss Yue right in view of everyone. 

Mai wrinkled her nose. “They’re nauseating.”

“Tell me about it,” Azula muttered. “You’re one to talk, though.”

“And you’re not? As if you’re not still pining over—”

Mai’s words were interrupted by Sokka when he came striding towards them, his phone pressed to his ear. He was shouting something at them that Ty Lee couldn’t make out.

Katara placed a hand on his shoulder. “Sokka, calm down. Say that again but slower.”

“Aang passed out!”

A sudden cold fear gripped at Ty Lee’s spine.

“What?!” they all said in unison.

“I just told everyone,” Sokka spoke to the person on the phone. “No, yeah, they’re all here. We’re not drunk.”

“Is that Toph?” asked Katara, looking stressed already. “Let me talk to her.” She tried to snatch the phone from Sokka but he swerved away to avoid her grasping hand.

“Where are you guys anyway? Are you still at Cabbage Man’s? I told you that place is—”

“SOKKA GIVE ME THE PHONE!”

Sokka handed it to her like the thing burned his hand.

While Katara talked to Toph, asking for specifics, Ty Lee tried to keep herself calm. Her mind went to Gyatso and felt her guilt creep at her. Aang was her cousin, and she knew two years wasn’t much but the fact that she was older than him still stood. “Is he okay?”

Azula was the only one who heard her. Her features softened, perhaps because of how small Ty Lee’s voice sounded. “I’m sure he’s going to be fine. He gets into all sorts trouble a lot and he always comes out alive.”

If Azula had tried to comfort her, it did the exact opposite. “Sorry, wrong thing to say,” Azula added. “He’ll be alright. We’ll go get him.” She grabbed Ty Lee’s hand and squeezed. The gesture made her feel a little better.

After Katara had thoroughly interrogated her friend, she told everyone the details. Aang was still at the restaurant they went to. Toph had been calling and sending a flurry of texts to Sokka and Katara when Aang had fainted after eating too much, but the two were in the middle of their drinking game and didn’t notice.

Passing out after eating too many dumplings. The thought was so ridiculous but she was too worried to laugh or be amused.

They all got into their cars and sped all the way to the city’s upper ring. Azula parked in front of a dingy-looking restaurant. They stepped out and their friends were already ahead of them, storming right through the door.

She saw Aang lying on top of a table when they got inside, his head resting against a couch pillow.

“Twinkle toes is fine,” Toph assured them immediately, “no need to look so horrified. They got medics for the contest so we didn't have to call an ambulance. He’s just napping now.”

Katara and Zuko berated the restaurant’s manager in a chorus of _what kind of stuff do you put in your_ _food_ and _we can have you_ _investigated for this_. Yue easily calmed her girlfriend down with a touch and a few whispered words, but Mai didn’t bother with Zuko and chose instead to fret over Aang like the rest of them. Zuko kept at it even as everyone went to Aang’s side. The poor manager looked close to invoking the spirits' names for protection.

Aang’s eyes blinked open over the sudden commotion, his eyes bleary. He smiled slowly when he saw them. “Hey, guys. Funny story, I won the contest but I passed out right after.” Aang’s grin was droopy but still bright. “Crazy, right?”

Ty Lee didn’t even notice Zuko joining them until he spoke up. “What do you mean _funny story_ ,” he mimicked, “we were worried sick!’

“Important thing is Aang’s okay,” Katara said, almost placatingly, “Do you want to go home now?” she asked Aang softly.

“Sure!” he piped up cheerily as if nothing had happened. His eyes finally found Ty Lee and his smile turned apologetic. “What’s up, cuz! I didn't know you'd be here. So, um… you’re not telling my dad about this, right?”

“I won’t lie to Gyatso and get myself kicked out of your house, Aang.” She spoke as nicely and gently as possible.

“Yeah, I figured. Sorry.”

Ty Lee reached out to squeeze his shoulders reassuringly. “But if he doesn’t ask, I won’t tell.”

That earned her a wide grateful grin and the others started to chuckle, the tension and the worry seeping out of them.

Zuko insisted on driving Aang home while the rest of them went back to the party, Mai going with her boyfriend. Katara and Azula shooed the people away from the kitchen and they all huddled inside, passing out food and drinks to each other as they talked and laughed until the party started to wind down.

Azula drove her home past midnight. She had the windows rolled down, the night air flooding in. 

“What are your plans for college?” Azula asked after a while, catching her off-guard.

“I'm not sure yet.”

“What do you mean?”

“I'm still trying to decide.” She turned her gaze away and looked out the window, watching the blur of identical houses fly by. “I was offered a scholarship at BSSU to study Dance after the department's head saw me perform.”

“Ty Lee, that's incredible!” said Azula, sounding genuinely pleased and impressed. “I heard how difficult it is to even get accepted at one of their programs, let alone be scouted.”

“I don't know if I'm going through with it, though. I love being with the company at Kyoshi.”

Azula took a moment to reply. It was long enough for Ty Lee's anxiety to crawl up in her chest.

“In that case, I hope you choose what you think is best for you.”

Azula's tone was clipped, yet when Ty Lee looked at her again she was smiling amicably, so it slipped her mind. 

Conversation was mellow after that, lazy in a way that only happened when two people knew they had a long string of next times to talk again. 

They arrived and Azula pulled up to Gyatso's house. It was different at night, especially now when the moon was full to bursting. It looked like it had been touched by the spirits, the moonlight lending the succulents that grew in the front yard an otherworldly sheen, and it stood out even more among the other houses in the neighborhood with their more modern and bland architecture. 

"Um, goodnight," said Azula. She was glaring at her hands, clutching the steering wheel in a tight grip. 

"Goodnight," Ty Lee said back, though she didn't get out of the car. Something in the way Azula's whole body looked stiff prevented her from moving.

Azula finally looked over at her, her frown clearing out like clouds on summer skies. Her breath was spiked with alcohol but her eyes were clear and sober, like sparks from a flint. Ty Lee's heart thrummed. Hardly a week had passed since they reconnected, but time meant nothing.

She took a chance and gently, deliberately, kissed her on the cheek. It was chaste and sweet, making her feel like a sophomore girl again, hopelessly in love with her supercilious best friend.

She was half-afraid to speak and half-desperate to say something.

Azula surprised her by draping her arms around her shoulders, pulling her close. 

“Thank you for not hating me,” she whispered against the curve between Ty Lee's neck and shoulders, a lick of warm breath. 

“I never did.”

_I never could, not really. I could be angry, and disappointed, and upset…but I could never bring myself to hate you._

They stayed like that for a while, just holding each other, chest to chest, their breaths commingling with the warm summer air. When they separated, Azula's eyes were red. Ty Lee ran a thumb through her cheek once. 

“Goodnight,” she said when she got out of the car, bending down to look at Azula through the window a little longer. “Again.”

Azula let out a snort. "Get inside, Ty Lee. It's late."

It was. But Ty Lee could stay up all night just to talk to Azula, like she used to do. 

She didn’t tell her that, though. Instead, she gave her one last smile and crossed the lawn towards the door.


	5. Azula

It could be her alcohol-addled brain, or her tendency to overthink, but already she was counting down the days, and she embraced Ty Lee like the number of times she could do it was numbered.

She drove away from the house where Ty Lee was staying temporarily with a ticking clock looming heavy in her mind.

Azula once thought she had burned this bridge for good, but Ty Lee came back to her life unbidden, like waking up to a clear morning sky when the weatherman forecasted a rainfall.

Though summer always gave way to fall, and Ty Lee would leave. 

A familiar dread slowly took shape in her leathered heart, but she had to live with it. After all, Ty Lee didn't owe her anything.

~

_Azula entered the talent show because of her mom._

_She would never let anyone know that. Well, except Ty Lee, since her best friend was the only person she trusted with her secrets. She even told her about the night she stole Zuzu's favorite comic book and burned it, and until now her brother still thought he’d left it at the park._

_“I just_ know _you’re going to win!” Ty Lee squealed from behind her on the backseat of her cousin Lu Ten’s car._

_Azula kept quiet. The dress her mother had insisted she’d put on was itchy and uncomfortable, but at least it was red._

_When they reached the school, Lu Ten looked at her sideways. “You okay, blue? You seem nervous.”_

_“I am not!” she nearly yelled, but she wasn’t Zuzu so it came out like a hiss through gritted teeth. “My tutor said I’m a prodigy.”_

_“You sure are,” Lu Ten said with a smile. Azula liked her cousin, even though he acted like her kooky uncle sometimes, but now he was starting to irritate her._

_The urge to slump herself against her seat was strong. “When is mom gonna be here?”_

_“She’ll be here soon. She said she’ll meet us backstage, remember? Your mom’s still driving Zuko to his friend’s house.”_

_It took her mom a little longer than_ soon _to arrive._

_Azula’s mom kept straightening her dress, pressing and tugging out invisible creases, and Azula rolled her eyes and complained even though she loved it when her mother was preoccupied with her. When she was done, she carefully grasped Azula by the shoulders. Her mom had knelt down so the two of them were eye-to-eye, and Azula could just be imagining things but Ursa's eyes were shimmering like she was trying not to cry._

_“I’m so proud of you, sweetheart. Very proud,” she said. The sheer, naked pride in her mother’s voice was more than what Azula had hoped when she decided to take violin lessons after finding out her mother used to play. She had stumbled upon her old instrument in the attic of her mom’s childhood home during their summer visit there._

_It was the only thing the two of them shared. Azula had always been closer to her dad, or at least she thought she was._

_Azula chose to keep quiet though, pursing her lips severely. Her mom’s smile dipped a little, but she squeezed Azula’s shoulders and kissed her smack on the cheek._

_A few minutes later, when it was nearly her turn to perform, her mom was on the phone with someone, talking in harsh, angry tones under her breath._

_When her mom turned back to her with an apologetic look that could only mean one thing, Azula wanted so badly to throw a fit. “I’m so sorry dear, but I really have to go,” she said, imploring and sounding rather desperate. “It’s your dad,” she added like that explained everything._

_“What does he have to do with anything?”_ He didn’t even bother to show up _, she thought._

_“He left some important documents at home and he doesn’t trust anyone else to go fetch it for him, it has to be me.” She attempted a smile. “You know how important your dad’s job is, right? He talks to you about it all the time.”_

_She couldn’t care less about her dad’s lectures at the moment._

_“I’ll have Lu Ten and Ty Lee come here so you’re not alone, they can watch you from the side of—”_

_Azula shoved her mother as hard as she could, satisfied when Ursa startled and stumbled back. She wasn’t strong enough to topple her over, but the shock on her mom’s face was enough. “Just say you never wanted to be here.” she said to her._

_A few people were looking at them now, but Azula didn't care. Her mom stood up, her face melting into anger. She didn't say anything, only stared at Azula, fuming silently like her glare was punishment enough._

_Then she walked out the exit without looking back._

_Azula performed her piece flawlessly, and the crowd stood for her as if tranced by the music she’d created, her display of skill casting a spell on them. She lived for moments like this, but now their admiration tasted sour in her mouth. Azula bowed stiffly, looked back at them with impassive eyes, and left the stage the same way she’d entered it: her strides quick and her shoulders straight._

_She found out about the car crash while having lunch with Lu Ten and Ty Lee in their favorite place. Lu Ten was on the phone, and she saw his face turn from confused to grim to agonized in a matter of seconds right before her eyes._

_Her mother had been speeding down a busy street while she was on her way back to the school when her car collided with another coming from her left. No one was spared. Which meant her mother was gone forever._

_Azula quit playing the violin entirely._

~

Her dream faded from her mind the moment she got out of bed.

It was an ordinary Sunday morning. Azula went for a run instead of preparing for her early shift since it was her day off, avoiding the parts of their neighborhood where the dog owners let their pets loose for some cruel reason. She returned to a house smelling of tea and breakfast, Zuko lumbering his way towards the kitchen with his hair sticking out everywhere like a Fire ferret had slept in his head last night, her uncle prattling about his Pai Sho club meeting later the moment he saw her brother.

Everything was the same, except Azula was carrying this terrible, sweet, dizzying anticipation in her chest.

“Wonderful morning, Azula,” her uncle said as she stepped inside the kitchen, an indulgent smile in his face. “Do you need anything for today?”

“Why would I need anything?” Azula said as she dumped some cereal on a bowl.

“If you change your mind, don't hesitate to ask. Extra cash or perhaps a word of advice, anything at all.”

She turned sharply to her brother. “You told him?”

“Why not?”

“Oh, I don’t know, something about _minding_ _your_ _own_ _business_.”

“Don't get mad at your brother, I was the one who asked him. I was simply curious.” Her uncle gave a hearty chuckle even as Azula shifted her death glare towards him. “Ty Lee is a sweet, lovely girl and the two of you make a perfect match.”

Azula suppressed a groan.

She was going to meet up with Ty Lee later to show her around one of her favorite places in the city, just as she had promised the other day.

After taking a shower, Azula checked her phone for the first time that day to find a few texts from Ty Lee.

**_good morning!_ **

**_excited for later?_ **

**_cause i can’t wait!_ ** **🥺😍**

Azula was rightfully nervous about this.

She put extra effort into picking her clothes and putting up her hair, choosing casual over daring. Her insides were a tangled mess, but Azula had a knack for remaining even-keeled under intense pressure.

 _You have an adamantine will_ , she told herself, _you could captain a ship through a hellish storm if you choose to set your mind to it, a_ date _with Ty Lee is nothing._

Azula drove to pick up Ty Lee, arriving right on time. When she saw her step out the door her calm threatened to snap.

She already knew Ty Lee was pretty. The sky was blue, the world was cruel, and Ty Lee was one of the prettiest girls Azula had ever known.

The knowledge didn’t stop her heart from stuttering at the sight of her, resplendent in a soft pink sundress, hair cascading as gracefully as the way she moved. Even the mightiest captains could fall victim to a siren’s luring.

A greeting was in order, so she said, “You look nice.”

“Thanks, you too,” Ty Lee replied. Her eyes swept over Azula. She pretended she didn’t notice her do it.

The drive to Kyoshi Park didn’t take long, and they spent the entire time talking. One of the most remarkable things about Ty Lee was her innate ability to make Azula feel at ease without much effort. Azula was never prone to oversharing, but Ty Lee could bring that out of her, even back when they were still kids.

The perfume of the humid afternoon lay heavy in the air as they emerged from the crisp artificial coolness of her car, someone with a cheerier disposition might even say it was a perfect day. The sun shone brilliantly, making everything it touched glisten, the sky clear except for a few clusters of clouds.

“I didn’t know this place existed,” Ty Lee remarked after they walked around for a while, as if Azula brought her to the mythical realm of spirits and not some unremarkable park in the city’s middle ring. They walked along a pond, watched as turtleducks frolicked about in the water. “It’s quite near Gyatso’s house, too.”

“It’s one of the smaller parks in the city, and it’s in the middle ring so you don’t see it in the brochures much,” she explained.

“And it’s your favorite spot?”

Azula nodded. “I come here a lot.” She pointed at one of the park benches. “I could sit there and read and no one would bother me. Children don’t come here often **,** and people prefer to walk their dogs at Yangchen Park. It rarely gets crowded.”

Ty Lee let out a little adorable laugh.

“What?”

“I just think it’s so _you_ to love this place because people left you alone to read and there aren’t children or animals around.”

If that came from anyone else, she’d take offense, but Ty Lee sounded too fond when she spoke that Azula felt her face warm up instead. “You think you know me so well, do you?”

Ty Lee slipped her hand into hers and merely grinned in reply. They kept on walking, Ty Lee swinging their joined hands slightly, bouncing a little with every stride as if she could barely fit her sheer joy inside her small frame. Azula was a bit more rigid, straight-backed even as she sauntered with the assured confidence that always came naturally to her.

 _This_ was familiar, an old scene from a movie she’d lived herself, but there was an undercurrent of something new, making a simple stroll in the park more thrilling and exciting and terrifying than it should.

“Huh,” said Ty Lee as they stopped short near Kyoshi's statue, staring up at it. Azula’s gazeq instantly fell on the column of her neck and felt a rush of warmth that had nothing to do with the afternoon sun. “I thought the statue would be bigger here. The one back on the island is at least twice the size of this one.”

The mention of Kyoshi Island disrupted Azula’s perfectly peaceful mood.

“There’s a reason behind that, actually,” she said, briskly shaking off her sudden unease. “According to accounts from reputable royal historians, the Earth King who reigned when this park was built envied how the people of his own kingdom still feared Kyoshi even after she passed away, so he chose the least favorable and smallest piece of land available and commissioned a smaller statue from a lesser-known sculptor. People saw it as the blatant insult that it was.

Too bad for him this only bolstered his subjects’ already growing resentment, since he was not only petty but also shamelessly corrupt, and his downfall came a few years later after the city’s great uprising. He was beheaded in this very place, right in front of Kyoshi’s statue.” She paused, gazing upwards to look at the statue of the woman she was so fascinated with. “I think it’s quite poetic. Even in death, Kyoshi still trampled down her enemies.”

Ty Lee cocked her head to the side, her hair falling over one shoulder. “You’re so gorgeous when you explain things.”

After info-dumping like that then hearing Ty Lee’s words, it was a miracle Azula could still breathe. “Very funny. Did you even listen to anything I said?”

“I did! You don’t get to live in Kyoshi Island for a time and not be interested with her,” she insisted. “And I’m being serious. You get all passionate and focused when you talk about something you’re interested in, it’s very attractive.”

This was uncharted territory for both of them. Ty Lee never openly flirted with her this way, leaving no window for her to pass it off as a joke. And even after hindsight and some pondering had illuminated hints of her interest from before, Azula still hadn’t expected this progression.

It felt good.

“Careful or I’d keep going for the rest of the day and bore you to death,” she said with a slowly growing smirk, and Ty Lee’s laugh rang clear.

They passed by a grassy lawn where a few people were picnicking on brightly patterned blankets. Birdsong mingled with the sound of their chatter, slightly muted down by the gentle wind.

“We could have a picnic here next time,” Ty Lee told her idly.

 _Next_ _time_. The security that those simple two words brought was enough to make Azula beam at Ty Lee.

“We should.”

She lit up at that. “We could invite Mai, or Katara and Yue! Or it could just be the two of us.” She gave her a wink. “Whichever works for you.”

_I'd rather have you all to myself._

“I'm just going to let you decide.”

“Just the two of us then,” said Ty Lee cheerfully. “It's going to be perfect!”

Azula was amused. “You're already so excited when our current _date_ isn't even over yet,” she teased. 

“Just letting you know you're not off the hook after this.”

They found a park bench resting on the edge of the pond and sat there. The park stretched before them and the sunlight spilled forth, but the dappled shade from the magnolia trees near them was a respite from the heat, as soothing as the grey of Ty Lee’s eyes.

Those eyes were now appraising Azula intently.

A stray tendril of hair stuck to Ty Lee’s face, damp and curled by sweat. Azula dug out enough courage to reach out and tuck it back. Her hand lingered, then her finger whispered past her ear, traveling down the slope of her cheek, skimming the line of her jaw.

“When did you get so tender?” said Ty Lee breathily, words like wisps of air to cool one’s cheek in the sweltering heat, gentle and disarming. She didn’t sound surprised, but there was a restrained sort of awe in her voice.

“After lots of practice, I suppose.” Azula smiled in a way she hadn’t in a very long time. “I still have a lot to learn, though.”

“I can teach you…if you want.”

Ty Lee caught her lip with her teeth, drawing Azula's attention to the movement, her eyes on Ty Lee’s mouth. It was deliberate, she realized, and Azula held back a grin. Ty Lee knew exactly what she was doing, yet Azula doubted she had any idea how she just made her heart thrash like a caged animal.

Azula nodded firmly, not daring to speak. It was enough.

She watched Ty Lee’s eyes close, the sight robbing her of her breath. She inched closer, her face serene and lit by stray sun rays, and Azula moved to meet her.

Their lips were a hairsbreadth away from touching when _fear_ jostled its way past the blissful haze that fell over Azula’s conscious mind, making her halt.

The dread that had formed the night before now sat in the forefront without so much as a warning.

She pulled back as if electrocuted, and Ty Lee’s eyes flew open. Hesitantly, she settled back to her side of the bench, a question was drawn all over her face. But Azula’s was a blank slate. Confusion turned to something like understanding, and it only made Azula feel worse about the whole thing. So she abruptly got to her feet, diverting her gaze away from Ty Lee before she could see the hurt register in her features, and walked as quickly as her legs could take her.

She slid into her car when she reached it and pulled away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the part about kyoshi has no basis in canon, i just made it all up.
> 
> and thank you again for the comments and kudos,, they always make my day <3


	6. Ty Lee

The woman on the phone had a grating voice that made her headache worse. It didn’t help that what she informed Ty Lee only served to deepen the well of anxiety inside of her.

When she snuck into the kitchen in her current state—dark circles under her eyes and still in her pajamas despite it being almost noon—Gyatso walked in on her searching the kitchen cupboards for pain relievers.

Now she was placidly sitting in the living room, a steaming mug of tea in her hand, Gyatso patiently waiting for her to—she wasn’t really sure what. He was looking at her with the knowing look of someone who had lived through whatever life had in store for someone like Gyatso. There was concern in his bespectacled eyes, too, and when he took off his glasses it only became clearer to her

“I can tell something is troubling you,” he finally said after a long bout of silence, his voice gentle. 

_Other than being sleep-deprived, you mean?_

“It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it, but my ears are open if you do.”

Ty Lee didn't want to talk about her stupid girl problems with Gyatso, so instead she said, “I just got an email and a call from BSSU alerting me about the deadline of my confirmation.”

Gyatso didn’t say anything to that, only prompted her to go on with a small tilt of his head.

“I’m still not ready to give them an answer.”

“I see.” He nodded to himself. “Something is blocking you from making a decision.”

“I think so,” she agreed. “But I’m not sure what.” This was sort of a lie. She did have some idea what was stopping her from picking one option over another, but it wasn’t something she enjoyed bringing up even in introspection.

She wasn't desperate to start a new life in a bigger city away from other people’s expectations and preconceived notions of her like Mai, or an overachiever like Azula. Travelling across the sea to Kyoshi Island might sound outrageous and adventurous to some, but the decision felt safe to her at the time. Dancing was her one true passion so it had been easy to choose it over trying to get accepted at one of the schools her parents liked and taking a degree her parents chose for her.

Ty Lee placed the half-empty mug of tea on the table before her and lowered her eyes, not meeting Gyatso’s wizened and patient ones.

“I’m just scared,” she admitted plainly, as if that would explain everything and Gyatso would just get it.

_I’m scared of being alone._

Growing up, Ty Lee was one of the more insignificant sibling in a flock of sisters who never really got to be close to any of the others, the young girl who always trailed the brilliant and impressive Azula and the much more subdued Mai wherever they went, and even after she left home and joined a dance company she simply traded those old labels for something not so different: a cog in a well-oiled machine, a single thread in an elaborate tapestry.

Moving to Ba Sing Se to study at one of the best institutions in the world could mean finally reaching out for the kind of freedom she’d been desperate for, but it also meant change and everything that was new and unknown.

Ty Lee fiddled with the hem of her shirt and looked up again. Gyatso was peering at her carefully.

“Fear can be helpful, but it can also bar you from allowing yourself to embrace the things that could be what you truly want all along,” he told her.

_If it weren’t for my fear, I’d leap at the opportunity granted to me as soon as it was laid in front of me._

“I- I know,” Ty Lee said dejectedly, “but it’s hard to shake off. Sometimes I think I’m sure about what I want, but then…”

She had too many confounding thoughts to juggle, dilemmas of her own making that she had put off from confronting for too long, and she'd stayed up all night trying to sort through everything but all she ended up doing was breaking the dam open and drown herself with the ensuing rush. It wasn’t a burden meant to be carried alone.

Gyatso was someone who had wisdom to spare and little judgement to give, so she poured everything out to him, or at least a portion of it. With every word that strode from her mouth, she slowly surfaced out of the flood and finally sucked in air to relieve some of the burden in her lungs.

She didn’t mention anything about what happened yesterday.

Ty Lee wiped at her eyes hastily when she was done, then turned to Gyatso expectantly. He looked like he was trying to choose his next words carefully.

“Ties with other people are important,” he began, “but you must also remember that carving up your own path is also a journey we all need to take. I spent most of my youth travelling by myself, but not once did I feel alone. I was granted the gift of knowing myself even more, and I’ve met people I came to love along the way. If I hadn’t gone out into the world, I wouldn’t have met Aang.” His eyes lit up as he mentioned of his adopted son. “And you needn’t be scared of extracting yourself away from a tightly woven net to weave your own. You have friends here, Aang and I are always here for you, and I have no doubt you’ll forge bonds with other people as time goes.”

Later she sat down with Gyatso and let him guide her through a meditation, then she spent the next few hours in introspection with a fresh mind, a new perspective.

Before dinner, she sent her confirmation email, and let out a long, relieved sigh as she hit send.

~

“Relax, Ty Lee. You’re seriously bothering me.”

Ty Lee paused from bouncing her legs and looked away from her own fidgeting hands to face her friend. Mai had her eyes on the road ahead, an irritated frown on her face.

“Sorry,” she said.

“Don’t apologize, just stop being so nervous.” Mai glanced at her briefly. “It’s probably nothing. I thought you met this person already.”

They were on their way to the address given to her by the woman who called her earlier, who was the Dance Department chairperson’s secretary. Miss June, as the secretary had called her boss, wanted to meet her personally, and Ty Lee's pulse rate had been tripping over ever since. 

“Seeing her stand in the corner watching us during rehearsals barely count as _meeting_ her,” said Ty Lee. “And you just don’t understand because you haven’t seen her. She’s just– I don’t know how to explain it.”

“She's hot?”

“That’s not what I mean!” she huffed out, a groan gusting out of her.

A corner of Mai’s mouth lifted up knowingly. “No wonder you’re all flustered.”

“You know what? I _won’t_ relax.” She started to bounce her legs again, adding a bit more force this time, crossing her arms petulantly. “Does this bother you, Mai?” she goaded as her other leg joined in. “You see how I don’t care?”

Mai rolled her eyes. “You're so weird when you’re anxious.”

They arrive at the address, parking in front of a brick townhouse.

Ty Lee fisted her clammy hands as they got up the steps to the door. Mai rang the doorbell, and it didn’t take long for someone to open the door for them.

Miss June eyed them both coolly, and there could be no doubt that it was her standing in front of them. She was wearing simple home clothes, a contrast to Ty Lee’s high-waisted skirt and peach top.

“Ty Lee, it’s good to see you again,” Miss June said in a sultry voice. She stuck out her hand and Ty Lee shook it gingerly, slightly dumbstruck. “I’m sorry for the short notice, but my schedule is quite full for the rest of the week.”

“It’s okay,” she said, glad that her voice didn’t fail her. 

Miss June was as stunning as the last time she saw her, but even more so now that she was standing at a closer proximity. Ty Lee tried not to stare too much as Miss June greeted Mai. Her hair fell over one side of her face, obscuring her right eye, but the one she kept in view was arresting enough to blindside anyone. It was probably a mercy that she didn’t unveil both.

They stepped inside her classy townhouse, Ty Lee’s gaze wandering around to stare at the modern artworks on the walls and artsy black-and-white photos of dancers captured mid-performance. Miss June led her to her office, while Mai waited in the living room. She caught sight of someone approaching Mai before she entered Miss June’s office, probably the secretary she spoke with earlier.

Ty Lee sat herself down on one of the chairs inside the office, smoothing down her skirt as she did so. Miss June went to sit in front of her, the two of them separated by a small table.

“Miss Ju—”

“Just call me June,” she said with a wave of her hand. “I didn't request to meet you to talk shop.”

Ty Lee almost verbalized her confusion before June leaned over to pour her tea. The scent of it wafted its way to her nose, loosening her muscles tense with nerves.

“I wanted to talk to you, but I didn't want you to feel like you had to prove something,” June began to explain. “You already impressed me enough to cement your place in our school.” She picked up her own cup of tea and settled back on her chair, crossing her legs with the effortless grace of someone who lived and breathed dance. “I guess that backfired because I could tell it only made you nervous.”

Ty Lee affirmed her observation with a nod. “I thought I was in trouble in some way because it took me so long to accept the offer.”

“Well, you're not exactly wrong.”

Ty Lee swallowed.

“Relax, I don't mean it like that. I just wanted to meet our potential future star student who clearly knows what she's worth since she took her sweet time to decide if our institution was a good enough option for her.”

“That's not—”

“It's okay, Ty Lee, no need to explain yourself,” she assured. “You got yourself a place in a dance company with little formal training, you have every right to be critical about your choices. Granted, you've been dancing since you were young and you were still technically a trainee at Kyoshi, but it's no less impressive.”

She decided there was no use dissuading her of this assumption, so Ty Lee nodded. If it helped her get on her good side then she'd take it.

“Just talk about yourself, what you aspire to be, your fears, whatever strikes your fancy.”

“I- um...” 

“But please don't be pressured to divulge anything you aren't comfortable talking about,” she added. “You know, I don't really pick favorites, but it's been a long time since someone has impressed me the way you and Suki did. There's still a lot of room for improvement, but you're both very promising talents. Whatever program you choose, I'm sure both of you will shine. I’m not saying you two are helpless, but Ba Sing Se is largely different from Kyoshi Island. And I know how this field of ours can be... tough, especially for us women. I mean, almost everything is more difficult for us, don't you agree?”

Ty Lee nodded. “Of course.”

“What I’m trying to say is that I know what it’s like to start out, and I want to extend my help if you ever need it.”

This all felt surreal to her. “It’s an honor, M— uh, June.”

June inclined her head and smiled.

“I didn't have anyone genuinely looking out for me when I was new to this whole thing, like most young women,” said June. She took a sip of her tea, hands cupped around her cup just so. “You don't owe me anything, not even the scholarship, you earned that, and I won't hover over the two of you like a mother hen. But I do want you and Suki to feel comfortable enough to seek out my help in case you ever need it, so I figured we should get ourselves acquainted.”

Ty Lee felt her nerves melt away. “I would love that.”

~

They’d been talking for some time when they heard a knock on the door. It opened slightly and June’s secretary stuck her head inside. “You have a meeting in twenty minutes.”

“Right, I almost forgot.” When June rose from her seat, Ty Lee followed suit. “Well, it’s been a delight talking to you, Ty Lee.”

Ty Lee didn’t even attempt to tamp down her grin. “The pleasure was all mine.”

She only knew her for an hour or so, but talking to June was like getting to know the older sister she had always wanted but never had.

When they finally stepped out of June's townhouse and went back to the car, Mai drove them out of the highly sophisticated street.

“That took _so_ long, I ended up reading through approximately three dance-related magazines,” Mai said. Ty Lee laughed.

“She just let me ramble away, I would’ve been embarrassed if she didn't actually seem interested about what I have to say.”

Mai nodded. “She does seem very cool.”

“Wow,” she said, gaping at her friend. “That’s high praise coming from you.”

“Just telling the truth,” Mai told her with a shrug.

They swung by one of Mai’s favorite coffeeshops. Ty Lee bought Mai her drink as a thank you for taking the time to accompany her to June’s house. She laid it in front of her on their table with a flourish. “Did I get your order right?”

Mai made a grab for it. “Stop fishing for compliments, you know you did.”

Ty Lee rolled her eyes, smiling as she sat down across Mai.

Mai eyed Ty Lee's white chocolate mocha with extra whipped cream. Her nose wrinkled. “That looks disgusting.”

“Jealous you can’t enjoy this in public?” She took a defiant sip and winked.

“Tell me about what you and the hot lady talked about,” she said, ignoring Ty Lee’s jab.

She only recounted a few snippets of her conversation with June, since most of it were animated babbling on Ty Lee’s part.

Then, after some time, her phone started to buzz. Ty Lee stared at her phone, the sight of the name flashing on the screen as piercing as its owner's eyes.

 _Azula_.

Her insides clenched.

“You’re not answering that?”

Ty Lee shrugged self-consciously then shoved her phone inside her purse, valiantly ignoring it and the person calling.

“Did something happen when you two went out the other day?” asked Mai with a narrowing gaze.

“Nothing happened,” she answered, looking at everywhere but her friend’s eyes. It wasn’t exactly a lie. “Should we get going now?”

She could feel Mai's disapproval despite not looking at her, as if her friend had peeked at her thoughts through a thin veil and knew there was more to it than _nothing_.

“If she did or said anything—”

“Mai, please, it wasn’t like that.” She sighed, the bubble of contentment she was floating in after her meeting with June popping abruptly, leaving her exhausted. “Can we not talk about this anymore?”

Her phone resumed its buzzing after it stopped for a moment. Mai’s frown deepened, but she acquiesced and dropped the subject.

The short drive to Gyatso’s house was tense and quiet. She could tell Mai was worried, she’d always been protective of Ty Lee in her own way. As much as she loved her friend for it, she hoped Mai wouldn’t confront Azula and demand answers herself. This wasn’t worth any of that mess.

~

_“Are you okay, Ty Lee?”_

_Ty Lee barely registered Aang’s words, preoccupied as she was with staring off into the car window. She turned to him and offered a weak smile. “I’m fine.”_

_“You sure?” Aang said. “I can take you to my favorite seaweed noodle place if you want? My treat.”_

_“Thanks, but I think I just want to rest a bit.”_

_Aang nodded and that was the end of it._

_She felt slightly guilty for turning his offer down, though. Aang had to leave soccer practice after Ty Lee called, asking him to pick her up from Kyoshi Park. She forgot he was busy and apologized as soon as he showed up, still in his training clothes, his shirt littered with grass stains._

_When he dropped her off, Ty Lee gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Sorry again, I didn’t mean to drag you out of practice.”_

_“Hey, it’s no big deal,” said Aang with a big grin. “Coach Bumi didn’t mind, I said it was urgent.”_

_Ty Lee’s little laugh was weak, but the smile she gave him wasn’t strained. “You didn’t have to lie, I could’ve waited a while longer, or just walked home.”_

_“It wasn’t a lie, though. You’re family. That counts as urgent.”_

_Ty Lee gave him another smile and got out of the car as quickly as she could. As soon as she was out and Aang had pulled away, she let the tears come._

_She wasn’t even sure what she was crying about. She was touched by what Aang said, sure, but it was more than that. It was as if a bucket full of emotions was already about to spill and her cousin randomly saying the sweetest thing ever, without a clue how secured and cared for it made her feel, like finally having a family that claimed her simply because they chose to, tipped it over and let it_ s _contents flow over her. Like patting someone who was trying to hold back tears._

_Ty Lee ran to her room and crawled to bed. When her crying finally subsided, she fished out her phone from her purse to distract herself from the image of Azula’s face after she pulled herself away from Ty Lee, like a cat deer in the headlights._

_It was a mistake._

_All she did was pile one source of unease over another, when she opened her phone to find an email notification from BSSU’s Dance department glaring at her like a rebuke._

_She skipped dinner and her body refused to sleep that night, so she put on some too-loud music Azula would frown at_ (stop thinking about her!) _and wallowed in her misery ._

_Perhaps she just wasn't meant to have Azula the way she wanted. Perhaps, in time, they'd move on from this and build something that resembled friendship, for old times' sake. But for now, Ty Lee wasn't ready to talk or look Azula in the face anytime soon._

_For now, she allowed herself to mourn the loss of something she never had, entertaining what-ifs for a little longer._


	7. Azula/Ty Lee

_Their household library was always pristinely kept. It was either because her father paid their staff well or they feared him more than they hated having to do extra work to get rid of the dust before it could even settle on any surface. Even though Azula was the only one occupying the place, something that grew more often these days._

_A lot of things changed since her mother passed, and having to spend less time with Ty Lee was not one Azula ever expected. She was starting her advanced contemporary dance classes at the local dance studio, which meant extra training hours and another shift in Azula’s old familiar routine._

_Her friend started taking lessons the same time Azula got a personal violin tutor, both of them very young yet very talented. Only difference was that Azula gave hers up, while Ty Lee was taking the next big step._

_The house was a lot less welcoming without Ty Lee coming over after school ends, her high-pitched voice filling the emptiness that only seemed to creep more and more into every inch of the place. She tried hanging out with Mai, but without Ty Lee it always ended up with both of them reading so it got tiresome fast, and Mai acted odd with Zuzu always finding excuses to pass by them or tail them around. Idiots._

_Besides, she and Ty Lee were much closer, and Azula could barely make Mai do anything she wanted her to. It wasn’t as fun._

_When Ty Lee offered to have a sleepover that weekend, Azula turned her down rather harshly._

_She had every right to be bitter, she thought._

_She was beginning to regret it when Saturday came, and she spent the afternoon sulking inside her dad’s library. A few hours later she was about to chuck her book across the room in a fit when Lu Ten walked in just in time._

_“Whoa, whoa,” said Lu Ten when he saw her. Gently, as if Azula was a dangerous predator and not an eleven-year-old, he took the book from her hands and placed it back. Then he hopped up and sat on the work table, his legs swinging slightly. “What’s got you all upset, blue?” he asked._

_Azula refused to look at him. “Leave me alone.”_

_“Come on, tell me. Maybe I can help.”_

_“Can’t you go bother Zuzu instead?”_

_Lu Ten reached out to muss up her hair. Azula swatted his hand away and tidied up her bun, eyeing her cousin with a sharp glare. Lu Ten laughed. “You know, I didn’t think I’d miss those days when you and Ty Lee would badger me all day asking me to drive you to wherever you wanted to go.”_

_Azula’s face screwed up ever so slightly, but Lu Ten was quick to notice. “Ah, you miss your best friend, don’t you?”_

_“I see her in school all the time,” she scoffed._

_“Yes, but she doesn’t come over as often as she used to.”_

_Azula liked Lu Ten because he was smarter than he let on, unlike Zuzu or Uncle Iroh who were complete idiots in her opinion, and he was clever in a way that wasn’t like her dad. But sometimes Lu Ten got too smart for her liking, accurately reading her moods and emotions even when she tried to hide them._

_Lu Ten nudged her shoulder lightly with his knee. “Let’s get ice cream.”_

_“I’m far too old for that.”_

_“You’re eleven.”_

_“I’m better than my peers, in case you haven’t noticed.”_

_“You spend too much time with your dad, blue. Now you talk like him.” Lu Ten sighed like this pained him and ran his hand across his clean-shaven face._

_She hated seeing Lu Ten’s face stripped off his usual grin or smiling eyes. It reminded her too much of that day, and she’d kept memories of it tightly sealed inside a chest so it would never see the light of day again. But the look on Lu Ten’s face was prodding it open, the memory peeking out_ —Lu Ten, on the phone, his face shifting from puzzlement to devastation, looking at her with the most—

_Azula mentally shook herself and pushed herself out of her chair. “Alright, let’s get ice cream.”_

_“Yes!” Lu Ten clapped his hands, the sharp sound echoing through the high-ceilinged library._

_“On one condition.”_

_“What is it?”_

_“We stop by Ty Lee’s house. She doesn’t have dance classes today.” Her gaze fixed on a point right below her cousin’s eyes. “I might have said some things to her that— and I…”_

_Lu Ten’s grin smoothed down. He took Azula’s hand and led her out of the library. “Nothing some strawberry ice cream won’t fix, eh?”_

~

“Are you sure you're okay?” Katara turned to her from the passenger seat.

Azula bit her lip but didn’t respond. She had called Katara in the middle of the night, had tried to keep her voice even. But Katara was too perceptive for that, and not long after Katara was on their driveway having driven all the way because that was just the sort of person that she was.

Katara took her to her house. It was empty—Katara’s dad flew to the South Pole for a project and wouldn’t be home for the next couple of weeks, and her brother Sokka got a place of his own near BSSU—but it didn’t feel like it. It never did. Loneliness wasn’t an uninvited guest lurking in the walls. Everything was neat and uncluttered but not cold or lifeless. Family pictures that didn’t look staged, chaotic glee in the same pair of blue eyes on four different people in hand-crafted frames of crushed seashells. There was a place of honor dedicated to Katara’s mother, a portrait of a beautiful woman in her late thirties with a smile just like Katara’s right, just right above the fireplace.

She let herself be led by Katara to their kitchen, where she sat on the counter while Katara took out ice cream from the fridge.

Katara sidled up beside her after a while, a bowl of strawberry ice cream with two spoons sticking into the generous scoops of frozen confectionary. Azula frowned.

“We ran out of the matcha-flavored ones. Sokka always hogs all of our stock when he visits,” explained Katara. Her eyes bore into the side of Azula’s head, and Azula kept staring into the slowly melting surface of the ice cream.

She felt a hand settle on her shoulder and nearly jolted.

“You want to stay here for the night? We can put on a movie and stay up for as long as you want,” she offered. Azula finally looked at her again and her friend’s smile wasn’t prodding, only gentle.

She nodded.

Katara brought out some pillows and blankets while Azula perused through their selection of films until finally settling on a childhood favorite—a fictive animated telling of Kyoshi’s life—and the two of them snuggled right on the carpet in front of the television, sharing a half-melted bowl of ice cream.

When the credits rolled, and both of them were leaning against each other with their eyes and limbs heavy with the beckoning of sleep, lips sticky with long-dried sugar and artificial strawberry, Azula told Katara about what happened earlier that day at Kyoshi park.

“Don’t worry,” said Katara, as she often does, “she’ll understand. Just talk to her again when you’re ready.”

Azula hoped it was as simple as that.

~

Two days later Mai showed up in the tea shop in the middle of her shift, arm in arm with Zuko and not even bothering to be surreptitious about making her contempt for Azula apparent. Mai had her way of letting anyone know that she was mad at them without doing much, so if she does put in some effort you just knew how deep the anger went.

Azula felt like she had to leave the room just so she could catch her breath.

She did, ignoring the perplexed concern on Iroh and Zuko’s glances and Katara’s openly worried one, then sat on the front steps as soon as she was outside. Uncaring of the strange looks the exiting customers were throwing her way.

She was counting the seconds in her head and got to seventy-eight when Mai finally followed her outside.

Mai sat herself down beside her, leaving just a small gap between them, and didn’t say anything for nearly twice the time it took her to go outside. She offered her a cigarette, which Azula declined, and seemed to contemplate to smoke hers or not. Mai finally settled not to and placed the pack inside her pocket. Azula would tell her to quit but she had long outgrown her old terrible habit of ordering Mai around.

Mai turned to look at her.

“Explain,” she said, calm as a killer.

Azula knew she couldn’t, not in any way that was straightforward. “It’s not that simple.”

“I’m not talking about your goddamn feelings, Azula. Just tell me about what happened since Ty Lee is still stuck trying to defend you by not telling me.”

The passing vehicles and the muted voices from inside were swallowed by the silence that followed when Azula didn’t reply.

“If you hurt her again,” Mai went on, “I swear right now I’m going to conveniently forget that you’re Zuko’s sister.”

Azula turned to look at her old friend’s face. She thought about what to say for a while, keeping her face neutral under Mai’s scrutiny. “Did Zuko ever tell you about what happened the day Lu Ten moved out?”

Azula saw the exact moment the right memory hit Mai, just a slight shift to her unyielding expression.

Lu Ten left Caldera City at a bad time in Azula’s life. It happened months before she and Zuko moved to Ba Sing Se, when the life they used to have was slowly crumbling. Life was taking the only favorite person she had left to Agna Qel'a for a job at the Council of Nations. Azula was selfish and _difficult_ , but she didn’t have the heart to put a halt to Lu Ten’s ambitions.

Lu Ten was really the only one she had during those months. She’d pushed her friends away, couldn’t last a minute in Zuko’s presence without yelling to his face, and her Dad never really cared. But she hated having to owe anyone anything. She didn’t want Lu Ten to turn down his dream job just because she wanted him to stay.

“You and Zuko drove him to the airport, and when you got there you…” Mai paused, and her face softened a fraction. “You froze up and left without really saying goodbye, and you didn’t come home for days.”

Azula nodded. Mai was smart enough not to ask if something similar had happened that day at Kyoshi Park with Ty Lee, knew Azula wouldn’t have brought this up if that wasn’t the case.

Fear of being left clashing with her fear of being a burden to someone. The same push and pull all over again. 

“I’m sorry we weren’t there for you then,” said Mai. It wasn’t what Azula expected from her at all.

“I didn’t exactly make it easy for the both of you.”

“That’s true.”

It was strange, having this talk with Mai. For the past few months since they were forced to reconcile, mostly for Zuko’s sake, they’d been tiptoeing everything that led to their falling out. Every vague reference to those days stuck out like a scratched scab in an otherwise unblemished skin.

“What now, then?” Mai asked. Azula looked at her questioningly. “Ty Lee. You’re not gonna try to talk to her again?”

She hid her face, her forehead resting against her arm. “She doesn’t want to talk to me.”

“What makes you think so?”

“She didn’t answer my calls.”

“Then stop moping and go to her house.”

There was a slight frustrated edge to Mai’s tone, enough to make Azula glance up again. When she did, Mai was looking at her with her lips sternly pressed together, a small gentleness in her eyes that clashed with everything else about her. Azula had never really appreciated Mai enough. She was a friend you could count on to never put up with your nonsense, the one to speak her mind when you need it the most even when it could cut you sometimes. She may look like she couldn’t be bothered to care about anything or anyone, but when she did, she did it so fiercely.

It was what Azula needed at that moment.

“You’re scared about her leaving.” Mai said it like it was a mere cold fact, as if she hadn’t just peeled off Azula’s well-hidden layers.

“You think I asked for this?”

“I’m not judging you. I’m trying to tell you that Ty Lee won’t hate you if you tell her why you did whatever you did. Do you really want to leave things the same way you did last time?”

“No. I don’t.”

She didn’t want a repeat of the past.

Mai’s small smile blended naturally with her features. Azula thought that if she had only paid more attention to Mai before she wouldn’t be surprised about how _soft_ she could look.

“That’s good to hear,” said Mai. “Ty Lee thought the world of you. She used to find it hard to fault you for the things you did, but she’s changed now.”

“It’s quite hard to tell.”

Mai snorted. “I suppose it is. Ty Lee’s far from a jaded version of herself. But obvious or not, we all had to do change in some ways.”

“I know.” _More than anyone_.

It was time to prove that she had, too.

~

It took her a whole day to pluck enough courage and shrink most of her pride to finally drive to see Ty Lee.

She’d texted her before going, tried dialing her number over and over again while she made her way to Aang’s place where Ty Lee was staying. She told herself that if Ty Lee still refused to talk, at least she tried, which was more than she could say about herself in the past.

Azula was repeating this in her head like a mantra when the front door of the house finally opened, and Ty Lee stepped out. Azula scrambled out of her car.

“Hey, I know it’s late but…” she trailed off, not sure how to finish that thought, if she was willing to show her hand this early. She felt out of her element, like that day in her uncle’s tea shop when she first saw Ty Lee after two years.

"We can't talk here," Ty Lee told her.

“Oh…” She tried and failed to hide her dismay. “I understand. I’ll be out of your hair—”

“No, that’s not it. I just don’t trust either of us to keep our voices down.”

That was an awful lie, but she couldn’t say it was wrong either. Of _course_ a quiet neighborhood like this seemed like it was in dire need of fresh gossip.

“Get in the car, we'll talk somewhere else.”

Ty Lee's face screwed up, hesitation etched on her face, a hand tugging at the sleeve of her powder blue sweater.

Azula's stubborn persistence to make things right was made pliant by that look.

“It's okay, you don’t need to—”

"For Kyoshi’s sake, fucking stop that!"

Azula blinked in surprise. She stared at Ty Lee like she was a whole different person. In the years she knew Ty Lee, she didn’t usually _demand_ for things, or curse for that matter. But now she basically just shut her up with a few yelled words, her deepening scowl lit by blinking streetlights, blazing and spellbinding.

“I'm going with you. Stop looking so guilty.”

They got inside Azula’s car, and like the brief passing of a storm Ty Lee’s anger oozed out of her, leaving her contrite.

“I didn't mean to raise my voice like that,” she murmured, looking straight ahead and away from Azula.

“I deserved it.”

That earned her a smile and a bemused shake of Ty Lee’s head. A few strands of hair fell to her face and Azula’s hands gripped the steering wheel a little harder. Her skin felt too tight, her heart was hammering. As they got closer to the city’s Upper Ring, the streets got busier, cars driving past with people either heading home or out somewhere to burn the weekend night away. She glanced over at Ty Lee and found her staring out the window, frantic little starbursts of light passing through her face.

Her uncle’s tea shop was shut closed for the night, but Azula had a key with her at all times. She dangled it in her fingers to show Ty Lee, whose face had the beginnings of a confused frown after Azula had parked her car right in front of the shop.

“You want some tea?”

“Um, okay.” Ty Lee just stared at her for a moment. “I’d prefer something stronger, honestly.”

Azula smiled tentatively. “Me too.”

✽✽✽✽✽✽

Ty Lee was in no way calm, but she probably looked like it.

She wrenched herself from her own body the moment she got inside Azula’s car, acting as a passive observer, watching as her legs took her to where Azula was leading her.

Only when the two of them sat down on one of the tables of Iroh’s tea shop, with a single fluorescent light suspended from the ceiling above their heads, did she come back to herself.

“You just left me there.”

Azula wasn’t looking at her. She wants Azula to look at her.

“Did you expect me to walk home by myself?” Her voice was mild, but the words spoke for themselves. Ty Lee hated herself for feeling the slightest bit of satisfaction when Azula finally drew her gaze to her for the first time since they sat down, her eyes wide.

“You did?”

Azula really did look stricken and for once it was at herself. Ty Lee shook her head, instinct making her soften her gaze a little. “No, I called Aang.”

That didn’t seem to make Azula look less guilty. But it wasn’t her job to make her feel better. Azula was the one who asked to talk, didn’t she?

So, Ty Lee waited. She sat there, a cup of tea that Azula hastily prepared for her left untouched, waiting for Azula to start talking.

The quiet was starting to prick at her skin when Azula finally opened her mouth to speak.

“I'm just scared about losing people so I- I push them away and – ” Azula paused for a long beat. “I loathe to admit this, but Ome's better at explaining this than I do."

“Who's Ome?”

“She's my therapist.”

Ty Lee gave her a flat look. “Seriously?”

Azula took a deep breath and avoided looking directly at her again, hands gripping the armrests in her chair hard, knuckles white. “What I'm trying to say is that when I found out you were going back to Kyoshi Island, it unearthed some unresolved fear that I thought I handled. And it's crippling and completely beyond reason, but I couldn't stop it. I wasn't prepared to have you in my life only to watch you leave...But I'm not blaming you. I felt that– ever since mom…after she…” 

Ty Lee’s breath hitched. A lump rising, lodging itself in her throat.

“I already messed up once, I didn’t want to do it again. I didn't want to end up making you feel like I was forcing you to do anything, or for you to feel pressured to change your plans because of me, and I ended up ruining it anyway, and I'm sorry. I'm sorry.” Azula relinquished her hold on the armrests, placing her hands on the table. Her lips curled derisively, but it wasn't directed at Ty Lee. “I'm not really making much sense.”

“No, I…” Ty Lee almost reached out. How could she be so stupid? Why did she think the worst of her right away? “I think… I understand.”

She didn’t deserve the look Azula gave her then.

“I should’ve just talked to you the moment you called. I’m sorry, Azula.”

To her surprise, Azula smiled, a delicate tilt of her lips. “I don’t deserve you,” she murmured. If the empty tea shop wasn’t so quiet, Ty Lee wouldn’t have caught it. “You don’t have to apologize. You couldn’t have known what was going on in my mind that day.”

“But—”

“Please. I need you to understand that what I did… not just when I left you at the park but also… all those years ago. Everything. I don’t want to make excuses for it. I can explain to you why, and I have no qualms talking about it to you anymore, if you’re willing to listen.”

She felt rather than saw Azula’s hand land on top of her own, she was too busy looking at her eyes, glistening with so many shades of emotions that Ty Lee could barely decipher all of them.

“Azula…”

“I want to make up for everything, while you’re still here. I’ve only just realized that at least, if you don’t end up hating me, then by the time you go back to Kyoshi I could still be your friend. I could still see you again.”

Ty Lee squeezed her eyes shut, felt the trail of dampness in her cheeks. Azula squeezed her hand. “Ty Lee are you… Fuck, you’re crying. I’m sorry.” Ty Lee heard her wince. “I shouldn’t have said all of that.”

Ty Lee couldn’t hold in her laugh. “You have no idea.”

“What?”

“I said”—she opened her eyes—“you have no idea. I could never hate you, even if I wanted to.”

“But… you sounded disappointed just a minute ago.”

“I was, but that's not the same as hate. Besides, I’m not anymore.” 

Azula still looked unconvinced, maybe even a little overwhelmed. Ty Lee felt a wave of fondness for her then.

“You said you wanted to make up to me,” she whispered, leaning in close, nearly tipping over her tea.

“Yes.” Their faces were just inches close, and Ty Lee could feel the small puff of Azula’s warm breath against her face. It smelled faintly of strawberries.

“You don’t have to do it all at once. It turns out I’ll be staying longer than I originally planned.”

“You are?” The anxious hope in Azula’s face was too much Ty Lee wanted to smooth it over, or smother it with a kiss. She hummed a yes and Azula’s amber eyes lit up.

“I do have an idea where you could start, though.” She brushed a finger along the line of Azula’s jaw, making its way underneath her chin, featherlight. She tipped her face slightly, enough so their noses touched. When Azula closed her eyes, she leaned down.

Ty Lee was clumsier than she usually was, and Azula’s lips moved like she was chasing something. Her other hand found Azula’s ponytail, undoing it gently, wounding her fingers through it. Not long they found a rhythm, and Azula sighed against her mouth as Ty Lee’s hand closed into a fist while still tangled up in her hair. She stopped after a while only to walk hastily around the table, and just as she was about to sit on the other chair, Azula pulled her down instead and she landed on her lap. When their lips found each other again it was softer, warmer somehow with their bodies pressed so close, a slow-going fire. Hands on waist and neck and shoulder, the sounds of their kissing the only thing filling up the cavernous quiet.

 _Strawberry ice cream_ , the back of her mind screamed. A pulsing thought just buried beneath the sheer joy and relief and want and hopefulness. _Her mouth tastes like strawberry ice cream_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (strawberry ice cream is azula's secret comfort food because it's ty lee's childhood favorite *sobs*)
> 
> so sorry this took so long.
> 
> this will be the last chapter before the epilogue but i will mark it as finished for now. this was supposed to go on for longer but i've been so busy after getting a job and will probably be busy for next several months bc of college, and i didn't want to end up abandoning this since i really did love writing this fic. but thank you so much for sticking around!


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